Philosophy of Ecology

Philosophy of Ecology......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
General Preface......Page 6
Preface......Page 8
Contributors......Page 10
Contents......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
Part 1: Philosophical Issues in the History and Science of Ecology......Page 16
Part 2: Philosophical Issues in Applied Ecology and Conservation Science......Page 30
Part 1: Philosophical Issues in the History and Science of\nEcology......Page 36
Introduction......Page 38
1 What were the Novel Abductions or Hypotheses that Set Ecology Apart?......Page 40
2 What were the Origins or Inspirations of these Defining Hypotheses?......Page 49
3 How much have these Initial Hypotheses Affected the Subsequent Development of Ecology?......Page 51
4 Who exactly Constituted the Community of Pioneer Ecologists?......Page 52
5 How much Convergence Towards a Consistent set of Hypotheses has Occurred?......Page 54
6 Summary and Conclusions......Page 57
Bibliography......Page 58
The Legend of Order and Chaos: Communities and Early Community Ecology......Page 62
1 Clements, Gleason, and Preservability......Page 64
2 The Prospect of Scientific Ecology......Page 69
3 Order and Chaos......Page 73
4 Clements\'s and Gleason\'s Ontologies......Page 81
5 Polarizing Narratives......Page 96
6 Multiple Communities......Page 108
7 Conclusion......Page 115
Acknowledgements......Page 116
Bibliography......Page 117
2 A Biographical Sketch and Sketch of Macarthur\'s Research Program......Page 122
3 A Tale of Two Models......Page 124
4 Did Macarthur Unify Population Biology?......Page 134
5 Conclusion......Page 139
Bibliography......Page 140
1 Introduction......Page 142
2 The Image Schemata of Invasion Biology......Page 148
3 Discussion......Page 153
Bibliography......Page 156
1 Introduction......Page 160
2 Adequacy Criteria for the Concept of Ecological Diversity......Page 161
3 Simpson\'s Index......Page 170
4 Shannon\'s Index......Page 172
5 The Role of the Diversity Concept within Ecology......Page 175
Bibliography......Page 179
1 Introduction......Page 182
2 Background: The Diversity-Stability Debate......Page 183
3 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions: Key Concepts......Page 189
4 The Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Debate......Page 201
Bibliography......Page 210
Introduction......Page 214
1 The Practical Significance of Ecosystem Individuation......Page 215
2 Identity and Individuation of Dynamical Systems......Page 216
3 Ecosystem Individuation and Change......Page 220
4 Ecosystem Meta-Models......Page 224
Acknowledgements......Page 229
Bibliography......Page 230
1 Symbiosis—The\nNeglected Link Between Ecology and Evolution......Page 232
2 History of the Concept......Page 233
3 What, Precisely, Is Symbiosis?......Page 236
4 Symbiosis and Evolution......Page 242
5 Symbiosis and Cancer......Page 254
6 Symbiosis and Human Ecology......Page 257
Acknowledgements......Page 260
Bibliography......Page 261
1 History in Science and Historical Sciences......Page 264
2 Status and Authority among the Sciences......Page 267
3 Aims of Explanation......Page 274
4 The Role of Prediction......Page 276
5 A Case in Point......Page 277
6 Reduction and Supervenience......Page 279
7 Models and Evidence......Page 282
8 The Standing of Ecological Models......Page 284
9 Epistemic Remarks......Page 289
10 Conclusion: Ecology as a Historical Science......Page 292
Bibliography......Page 294
Part 2: Philosophical Issues in Applied Ecology and Conservation Science......Page 296
1 Introduction......Page 298
2 The Case for Triage and Carbon Trading......Page 300
3 Some Arguments Against Triage and Carbon Trading......Page 302
4 A Decision-Theoretic Case Against Triage and Carbon Trading......Page 307
5 Concluding Remarks......Page 310
Bibliography......Page 311
Introduction: Classic Ecological Restoration......Page 314
The Wilderness Myth and the Equilibrium-Ecology Myth......Page 316
The Myth of Clementsian Equilibrium Ecology Debunked......Page 318
The Colonial Wilderness Myth Debunked......Page 320
Pleistocene Parks?......Page 322
A Question of Scale......Page 324
Temporal Scale and the Problem of Selecting a Reference System for Ecological Restoration......Page 325
The Classic Norms of Ecological Restoration Scientifically Justified......Page 328
A Scalar Distinction Between Pre- and Post-Industrial Human Disturbance......Page 333
Is Ecological Restoration Hubristic?......Page 334
Summary and Conclusion......Page 335
Bibliography......Page 336
1 Introduction......Page 340
2 The Balcones Canyonlands......Page 343
3 Defining Ecological Restoration......Page 346
4 Doubts About Integrity......Page 351
5 Problems with Fidelity......Page 354
6 Natural Values......Page 360
7 The Reconstructionist Agenda......Page 365
8 Conclusion......Page 368
Acknowledgements......Page 369
Bibliography......Page 370
1 Introduction: The Challenge......Page 376
2 Accounting and Reversibility and Substitutability: Still Controversial......Page 378
3 Scale Determination: The Greater Challenge Today......Page 385
4 Reforming or Replacing Economics: What is Needed?......Page 393
5 Reflexive Philosophy of Science: Models, Metaphors, and the Discernment of Social Values......Page 400
6 Conclusion: Prospects for a Truly Ecological Approach to Sustainability......Page 406
Bibliography......Page 407
1 Introduction......Page 412
2 Species Richness and Biological Productivity......Page 413
3 Economic Inequality and Biodiversity Loss......Page 418
4 The Intrinsic Value of Diversity and Equality......Page 422
5 Other Potential Applications......Page 424
Acknowledgements......Page 425
Bibliography......Page 426
Index......Page 430