Abstract

Many systematic biologists claim that a new paradigm about species classification has been established in their discipline. This paradigm, which I call the "unified species paradigm", consists in a set of theoretical claims and methodological practices centered around the view that species are independently evolving lineages. This paper sets out the basic theoretical and methodological principles of this new paradigm, and looks at biological textbooks, publication patterns and citation patterns to evaluate the claim that there is growing consensus about it.