Bausman, William C (2020) The Aims and Structures of Ecological Research Programs. [Preprint]

Preview

Text Bausman 2020 Aims and Structures Phil Topics.pdf Download (265kB) | Preview

Abstract

Neutral Theory is controversial in ecology. Ecologists and philosophers have diagnosed the source of the controversy as: its false assumption that individuals in different species within the same trophic level are ecologically equivalent, its conflict with Competition Theory and the adaptation of species, its role as a null hypothesis, and as a Lakatosian research programme. In this paper, I show why we should instead understand the conflict at the level of research programs which involve more than theory. The Neutralist and Competitionist research programs borrow and construct theories, models, and experiments for various aims and given their home ecological systems. I present a holistic and pragmatic view of the controversy that foregrounds the interrelation between many kinds of practices and decisions in ecological research.

---

Export/Citation:

EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Bausman, William C wcbausman@gmail.com 0000-0002-7445-8722
Keywords:	Research Program; Ecology; Scientific Methodology; Modeling; Experimentation; Scientific Controversy
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > Models and Idealization
Depositing User:	Dr. William Bausman
Date Deposited:	26 Mar 2021 03:22
Last Modified:	26 Mar 2021 03:22
Item ID:	18853
Official URL:	http://www.jstor.org/stable/26948089
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > Models and Idealization
Date:	October 2020
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/18853

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item