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Restored Thevenot map: The Thevenot map works better at the top of the page than an image of Cook, because a) it better reflects the chronology of European exploration, predating Cook's visit by more than a century; b) it is representative of a more comprehensive set of explorations than Cook actually undertook in his brief voyage along the east coast, and c) a map from the age of exploration is a more comprehensive depiction of European exploration than an image of any single explorer. Cook was instrumental in enabling the British to "discover" Australia but he did very little to directly explore the continent. Further, this article is the "European exploration" not British exploration. Obviously the English were the bulk of subsequent settlers and colonists, but that does not invalidate the exploration done by other nations such that we should deprioritise them in the lead..
Removed a piped link from "James Cook" to impacts such as land clearing and hoofed agriculture: Cook had no role in either of these things, and they cannot reasonably be described as "his" impacts. Certainly they were done by colonists who came after Cook, but to retrospectively attribute those colonists' actions to him is an example of the fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc, or "A happened before B, therefore A caused B."
So, material removed on these bases. Happy to discuss if required, and obviously keen the hear the point of view of the IP that added these points, in the spirit of WP:BRD. -- Euryalus (talk) 04:59, 11 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]
I agree on both points. Unfortunately, Cook is currently the bête noire of Australian colonisation, even though he didn't stay here for anything more than the minimum time needed to repair his ship, and had nothing to do with the later decision to sent the First Fleet. HiLo48 (talk) 05:16, 11 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]