Bocchi, Federica (2024) Biodiversity Skepticism and Measurement Practices. [Preprint]
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Abstract
This paper challenges ``biodiversity skepticism:" an inferential move that acknowledges the proliferation, heterogeneity, and lack of covariance of biodiversity measurements, and concludes that we should doubt the scientific validity of the biodiversity concept. As a way out of skepticism, philosophers have advocated for eliminating ``biodiversity" from scientific inquiry, revising it, or deflating its meaning into a single measurable dimension.
I present a counterargument to the inferential move of the skeptic by revealing how it stands on two unstated premises, namely a reflective view of measurements and the unidirectional dynamics between definitional and measurement practices, and corollary assumptions. These premises and assumptions are misaligned with a richer theoretical understanding of measurement and are sometimes inconsistent with how science operates. A more nuanced view of measurement can better explain measurement proliferation while being consistent with new ways in which the general biodiversity concept could be useful.
To conclude, I urge philosophers of measurement and conceptual engineers to collaborate in tackling the interplay between conceptual change and measurement practices.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Forthcoming in Biology & Philosophy | ||||||
| Keywords: | biodiversity, measurement, theoretical concepts, biodiversity practices | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation |
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| Depositing User: | Federica Federica Bocchi | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 31 Oct 2024 17:25 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 31 Oct 2024 17:25 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 24138 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation |
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| Date: | 2024 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24138 |
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