Emery Richard
Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Health Division, Olympic College, 1600 Chester Avenue, Bremerton, WA 98337-1699, USA.
Biosystems. 2003 Dec;72(3):217-27. doi: 10.1016/s0303-2647(03)00147-3.
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.
通过在“哲学适应度景观”（PFL）上用32个像素对其进行建模，来尝试对爱德华·O·威尔逊的“一致性”原则进行数字化诠释——知识将源于跨学科的融合。这种方法部分满足了威尔逊提出的开发有用的一致性方法论（包括地图和其他导向工具）的需求。为响应他对更多想象力的呼吁，召集了13位科学巨匠进行“虚拟圆桌会议”讨论，以辩论生物生命的意义及其起源。这样做是为了（主观地）检验零假设，即PFL对这种辩论中所涉及观点的多样性不敏感。零假设被拒绝后，有人认为合适的PFL可能有助于在生物系统辩论中最需要的地方促进威尔逊式的一致性。
