Facing Up to Complexity: Integration of Theories

直面复杂性：理论整合

• 批准号: 0094395
• 负责人: Sandra Mitchell
• 金额: $ 9.1万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-08-01 至 2003-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0094395&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Facing; Up; Complexity; Integration; Theories

In this project, Mitchell investigates two cases of biological complexity: social insect societies and ecological systems. She argues that a new perspective on the relationship among scientific theories is needed to replace both reductionism and isolationism. Integrative pluralism is a view that acknowledges the partial autonomy of the scientific study of different levels of organization and analysis, but nevertheless supports integration in the generation of explanations of concrete, complex phenomena. In the two case studies Mitchell aims to detect patterns of integrative strategies used in contemporary biology and to further articulate an analytic framework for understanding the complex relations in which the variety of theories and explanations stand.

在这个项目中，米切尔研究了生物复杂性的两个案例：社会性昆虫社会和生态系统。她认为，需要用一种新的视角来看待科学理论之间的关系，以取代还原论和孤立主义。整合多元主义是一种承认不同层次的组织和分析的科学研究的部分自主性的观点，但仍然支持对具体、复杂现象的解释的整合。在这两个案例研究中，米切尔的目的是发现当代生物学中使用的整合策略的模式，并进一步阐明一个分析框架，以理解各种理论和解释所存在的复杂关系。