Ecologists are testing more and more hypotheses, but their studies are explaining less of the world. That’s the striking conclusion of a new study that analyzes 8 decades of research papers. What exactly is driving these trends isn’t clear, but researchers fear it could undermine confidence in ecological research.
Since it gained momentum as a formal field of study in the 1800s, ecology has focused on understanding interactions among organisms and their environments. Ecologists have made major contributions to shaping modern views of how the natural world works, from documenting competition and cooperation in nature to clarifying the valuable services that ecosystems can provide to humans, such as purifying water or buffering storms and floods. As in many sciences, however, the field has become less descriptive and more quantitative as it matured. (1)
We tend to over-analyze things. And that will always lead us away from One.
We once thought in Monads. Now we like infinity.
We have taken the wrong path.
And it needs courage to admit it and go back…
As magnocrat said, “An expert is a man who knows more and more about less and less and ends by knowing everything about nothing”. Let us be that man.
The flower is greater than its parts. The flower is the job of poetry the parts the job of science. The chemistry of scents and colour is hidden deep in complex organics. Then there is the great interpreter the eye and finally the mysterious brain.
An expert is a man who knows more and more about less and less and ends by knowing everything about nothing.
Long ago I resolved to be a dabbler and it serves me well. I do not worry about getting to the bottom of anything since I’m pretty sure there is no bottom.
Nicely said…
You will allow me to embed your comment in the text of the article… 🙂
With reference to the source of course.
Be my guest I endeavour to be open minded.