The class clade does indeed appear as the only "natural groups" to those of us that have a strong tendency for typification (like the German entomologist Willi Hennig), but the problem is that the class is contradictory. Since there are clades of different kinds of things, which also may be physical parts of each other, single clades are indeterminate as to whether being one or many both in and over time. This contradiction was described by Bertrand Russell in 1901 and is therefore called Russell's paradox.
Today's cladists thus neither understand that the class clade is contradictory nor are aware of Russell's paradox, but instead believe, actually assert, claim and define that the class can be found. They appear caught in the paradox.
Who on earth can make such convinced believers (ie, fundamentalists) realize that they are simply wrong? Or as Amos Oz put it: how do we cure a fanatic?
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