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  3. Ecological Complexity
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      20 July 2023
      10 August 2023
      ISBN:
      9781108900010
      9781316514122
      9781108827522
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108900010
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.27kg, 88 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.14kg, 88 Pages
      • Series:
      Elements in the Philosophy of Biology
      Subjects:
      Philosophy of Science, Philosophy
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    Series:
    Elements in the Philosophy of Biology
    Subjects:
    Philosophy of Science, Philosophy
    Information

    Book description

    Complexity has received substantial attention from scientists and philosophers alike. There are numerous, often conflicting, accounts of how complexity should be defined and how it should be measured. Much less attention has been paid to the epistemic implications of complexity, especially in Ecology. How does the complex nature of ecological systems affect ecologists' ability to study them? This Element argues that ecological systems are complex in a rather special way: they are causally heterogeneous. Not only are they made up of many interacting parts, but their behaviour is variable across space or time. Causal heterogeneity is responsible for many of the epistemic difficulties that ecologists face, especially when making generalisations and predictions. Luckily, ecologists have the tools to overcome these difficulties, though these tools have historically been considered suspect by philosophers of science. The author presents an updated philosophical account with an optimistic outlook of the methods and status of ecological research.

    Reviews

    ‘… a concise introduction to a few of the issues that have characterized the challenge of making theoretical advances in ecological complexity while emphasizing the deep value of identifying empirical regularities across ecological case studies.’

    David C. Krakauer Source: The Quarterly Review of Biology

    References

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