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Theoretical ecology as etiological from the start

Donhauser, Justin (2016) Theoretical ecology as etiological from the start. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 60. 67 - 76.

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Abstract

The world's leading environmental advisory institutions look to ecological theory and research as an objective guide for policy and resource management decision-making. In addition to the theoretical and broadly philosophical merits of doing so, it is therefore practically significant to clear up confusions about ecology's conceptual foundations and to clarify the basic workings of inferential methods used in the science. Through discussion of key moments in the genesis of the theoretical branch of ecology, this essay elucidates a general heuristic role of teleological metaphors in ecological research and defuses certain enduring confusions about work in ecology.


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Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Donhauser, Justin
Keywords: History and philosophy of ecology; Theoretical ecology; Teleology
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation
Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology
Specific Sciences > Complex Systems
General Issues > Explanation
General Issues > History of Science Case Studies
Depositing User: Justin Donhauser
Date Deposited: 29 Sep 2017 14:39
Last Modified: 29 Sep 2017 14:39
Item ID: 13493
Journal or Publication Title: Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Official URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S...
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation
Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology
Specific Sciences > Complex Systems
General Issues > Explanation
General Issues > History of Science Case Studies
Date: 2016
Page Range: 67 - 76
Volume: 60
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13493

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