A Critique for EcologyThis book offers a critique of contemporary ecology, which could be applied to any discipline. Author Peters contends that science is a device to offer information about nature through predictions, but that a substantial part of ecology cannot be science because it provides no concrete information and much of the rest of ecology provides data of such poor quality that it can only be called soft science. Although instances of these deficiencies have often been identified, the pervasiveness of the problem has not been fully acknowledged, nor have the similarities among different problem areas been appreciated. If ecology and environmental science are to grow to meet the needs of the present decade and next millennium, scientists in these fields will need much more acute critical abilities than they have yet demonstrated. Professor Peters argues specifically that a return to simple questions of fact, to observations, and to questions of general relevance to science and society can make ecology a useful, practical, and informative science, which is desperately needed to meet the problems of our age. This thought-provoking and perhaps controversial book will be of particular interest to ecologists, but all scientists, from undergraduates to senior academics and professionals, can benefit from reading it. |
Contents
Crisis in ecology | 1 |
Some preliminary disclaimers | 2 |
Ecologists against ecology | 4 |
Sociological evidence against ecology | 6 |
Evidence from the deepening environmental crisis | 10 |
Academic ecology poses unanswerable questions | 13 |
Summary Scientific growth depends on scientific criticism | 14 |
Criteria | 17 |
Legitimate roles for historical understanding in ecology | 170 |
Summary Explanations in ecology | 176 |
Weak predictions | 178 |
Accuracy | 189 |
Imprecise and qualitative predictions | 196 |
Generality and specificity | 211 |
Economy | 216 |
Appeal | 218 |
logic science and theory | 18 |
Hypotheticodeductive science | 21 |
Criteria for judging scientific theories | 26 |
Summary A hierarchy of scientific criteria | 36 |
Tautology | 38 |
The principle of evolution by natural selection | 60 |
Summary Two tools for two jobs | 73 |
Operationalization of terms and concepts | 74 |
Operationalization of concepts | 76 |
Typologies and classifications | 80 |
Conceptual variables stability and diversity | 92 |
Nonoperational relationships | 96 |
Atheoretical concepts | 97 |
the effects of poor examples | 100 |
Summary The costs of nonoperational concepts for ecology | 104 |
Explanatory science reduction cause and mechanism | 105 |
alternate goals for science | 106 |
an unattainable goal | 110 |
Causality | 128 |
Instrumentalist research | 136 |
Summary The twin perils of mechanistic and causal explanations | 146 |
Historical explanation and understanding | 147 |
Historical explanations and ecology | 154 |
Summary Practicality and appeal | 219 |
Checklist of problems | 220 |
The Introduction | 221 |
Methods | 229 |
Results | 235 |
Discussion | 239 |
Extensions and hypotheses | 250 |
Summary The challenge of good science | 254 |
Putting it together competition | 256 |
The prevalence of competition | 257 |
Operationalization | 259 |
Tautology | 263 |
Historical explanation | 266 |
Mechanisms of competition | 268 |
The theoretical status of competition theory | 270 |
Summary The muddles of ecology | 273 |
Predictive ecology | 274 |
The attractions of predictive ecology | 290 |
Summary A scientific alternative for ecology | 304 |
References | 305 |
Index of names and first authors | 345 |
352 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
affirming the consequent alternative American Naturalist analysis animals applied approach areas argument behaviour bioaccumulation biological biomass causal Chapter characteristics claim competition complex concepts constructs contemporary ecology criticism defined definition density describe discussion ecological theory ecologists ecosystem effect empirical environment environmental equations estimates eutrophication evapotranspiration evolution by natural evolutionary example experiments factors fallacy falsified fisheries food webs genetic goal growth herbivores historical explanations hypothesis identify interactions invoke involves irrelevant island biogeography K-selection lake limits literature logical MacArthur measure mechanistic models natural selection nutrient observations operationalization organisms patterns Peters phenomena phosphorus phytoplankton plant Popper population population density possible predators predictive ecology predictive power predictor premises problems qualitative questions regression relations relationships relevant represent require resource result Rigler scientific theories scientists Simberloff similar simple species stability statistical success tautology theoretical ecology tion trophic levels variables zooplankton
Popular passages
Page 313 - NISBET. 1971. Inter-relations between developmental models in geomorphology, plant ecology and animal ecology.