Division of Environmental Biology, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230, USA.
Q Rev Biol. 2010 Sep;85(3):293-318. doi: 10.1086/655117.
Science progresses faster when researchers operate within an explicit framework of concepts and theories, but currently biology has no explicit, overarching conceptual framework and few general theories. The single general theory currently recognized is that of evolution, which was put forth by Charles Darwin 150 years ago. Recently, Scheiner and Willig (2008) explicated a similarly general theory of ecology. In this paper, using the theory of evolution as an exemplar, I discuss the nature of theory in biology and put forth an overarching theory, as well as new general theories for cells, organisms, and genetics. Along with the theories of evolution and ecology, these constitute a general conceptual framework for the biological sciences. This framework reveals linkages among the various parts of biology, makes explicit the assumptions behind more narrow theories and models, and provides new insights into the structures of biological theories. This framework can also be used as a teaching tool, moving the teaching of biology beyond the transference of a vast compendium of facts. My hope is that this essay will lead to a vigorous discussion and debate across all of biology about the nature and structure of its theories.
当研究人员在明确的概念和理论框架内进行操作时，科学会发展得更快，但目前生物学还没有明确的、总体的概念框架，也几乎没有一般理论。目前公认的唯一一般理论是进化论，它是由查尔斯·达尔文在 150 年前提出的。最近，Scheiner 和 Willig（2008）阐明了一个类似的生态学一般理论。在本文中，我以进化论为例，讨论了生物学中理论的本质，并提出了一个总体理论，以及细胞、生物和遗传学的新一般理论。除了进化和生态学理论，这些构成了生物学的一般概念框架。该框架揭示了生物学各个部分之间的联系，明确了更狭隘的理论和模型背后的假设，并为生物理论的结构提供了新的见解。这个框架也可以作为一种教学工具，将生物学的教学从大量事实的转移中解放出来。我希望这篇文章能够引发生物学界关于其理论的本质和结构的热烈讨论和辩论。
