• Title of article

    Could a "philosophical fitness landscape" foster Wilsonian consilience in biosystems debates?

  • Author/Authors

    Emery، Richard نويسنده ,

  • Issue Information
    روزنامه با شماره پیاپی سال 2003
  • Pages
    -216
  • From page
    217
  • To page
    0
  • Abstract
    A digital interpretation of Edward O. Wilson’s principle of "consilience"-knowledge will grow out of interdisciplinary accommodation-is attempted by modeling it with 32 pixels on a "philosophical fitness landscape" (PFL). This approach partially answers a need expressed by Wilson to develop useful consilience methodology, including maps and other orientation devises. Responding also to his call for more imagination, a "virtual roundtable" discussion is convened among 13 scientific luminaries to debate the meaning of biological life and its origin. This is done to test (subjectively) the null hypothesis that a PFL would be insensitive to the diversity of perspectives engaged in such a debate. Rejecting the null hypothesis, an argument is made that an appropriate PFL might help to foster Wilsonian consilience in biosystems debates, where it is needed most.
  • Keywords
    Philosophical fitness landscape , Virtual roundtable debate , Consilience , E.O. Wilson , Origin of life , Growth of knowledge
  • Journal title
    BioSystems
  • Serial Year
    2003
  • Journal title
    BioSystems
  • Record number

    47730