Well, I think that’s kinda the point of the OOP. Species aren’t supposed to be anything special. By capitalising the names of alien species we’re elevating them to be synonymous with culture, even though it’s impossible for any species to have a monoculture. We’re monolithising a (fictional alien) species.
By the way, Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear aren’t species either. They’re both brown bears (ursos arctos).
Hey, so I looked it up again and you’re not actually dumb. Grizzlys and Kodiaks are sub-species, so when I said they aren’t species that was only half true.
However, only the first part is capitalised, so it’s Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear, maybe because bear is the species and Grizzly/Kodiak isn’t.
Well, I think that’s kinda the point of the OOP. Species aren’t supposed to be anything special. By capitalising the names of alien species we’re elevating them to be synonymous with culture, even though it’s impossible for any species to have a monoculture. We’re monolithising a (fictional alien) species.
By the way, Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear aren’t species either. They’re both brown bears (ursos arctos).
Well fuck me. I’m dumber than I thought.
Hey, so I looked it up again and you’re not actually dumb. Grizzlys and Kodiaks are sub-species, so when I said they aren’t species that was only half true.
However, only the first part is capitalised, so it’s Grizzly bear and Kodiak bear, maybe because bear is the species and Grizzly/Kodiak isn’t.