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Holism and Reductionism in Biology and Ecology

The Mutual Dependence of Higher and Lower Level Research Programmes

  • Book
  • © 2000

Overview

Authors:
  1. Rick C. Looijen

    1. Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

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Part of the book series: Episteme (EPIS, volume 23)

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XXI
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  2. Reduction and Co-Operation in Biology

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Holism and Reductionism

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 3-24

    3. Reduction of Laws and Theories

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 25-41

    4. Reduction of Concepts

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 43-61

    5. Emergence, Reduction and Co-Operating Research Programmes

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 63-84

    6. Co-Operating Research Programmes: Reduction of the Bohr Effect

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 85-105

    7. Functional Explanations in Biology

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 107-136

  3. Reduction and Co-Operation in Ecology

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 137-137
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    2. The Reduction Problem in Ecology

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 139-158

    3. Ecological Communities: Conceptual Problems and Definition

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 159-192

    4. The Distinction Between Habitat and Niche

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 193-219

    5. The Reduction of the Lotka/Volterra Competition Model to Modern Niche Theory

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 221-251

    6. Co-Operation in Island Biogeography

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 253-267

    7. The Inhibitory Effect of the Holism-Reductionism Dispute: A Controversy in Island Biogeography and its Solution

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 269-299

  4. Epilogue

    1. Epilogue

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 301-306

  5. Erratum

    1. Erratum

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 351-351

    2. Erratum to: The Reduction of the Lotka/Volterra Competition Model to Modern Niche Theory

      • Rick C. Looijen
      Pages 351-351

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 307-350
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Keywords

About this book

Holism and reductionism are traditionally seen as incompatible views or approaches to nature. Here Looijen argues that they should rather be seen as mutually dependent and hence co-operating research programmes. He sheds some interesting new light on the emergence thesis, its relation to the reduction thesis, and on the role and status of functional explanations in biology. He discusses several examples of reduction in both biology and ecology, showing the mutual dependence of holistic and reductionist research programmes. Ecologists are offered separate chapters, clarifying some major, yet highly and controversial ecological concepts, such as `community', `habitat', and `niche'. The book is the first in-depth study of the philosophy of ecology.
Readership: Specialists in the philosophy of science, especially the philosophy of biology, biologists and ecologists interested in the philosophy of their discipline. Also of interest to other scientists concerned with the holism-reductionism issue.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

    Rick C. Looijen

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Holism and Reductionism in Biology and Ecology

  • Book Subtitle: The Mutual Dependence of Higher and Lower Level Research Programmes

  • Authors: Rick C. Looijen

  • Series Title: Episteme

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9560-5

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2000

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7923-6076-6Published: 30 November 1999

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-5364-0Published: 28 October 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-015-9560-5Published: 06 December 2012

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXII, 352

  • Topics: Philosophy of Biology, Philosophy of Science, Evolutionary Biology, Plant Ecology, Ecology

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