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The Variance Allocation Hypothesis of Stasis and Punctuation

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Reductionism and Systems Theory in the Life Sciences

Part of the book series: Theory and Decision Library ((TDLA,volume 10))

Abstract

Reductionistic research strategies are a powerful heuristic instrument in natural sciences provided that their inherent limitations are not obscured by ontological reductionism (Wuketits 1983). Reduction of complex phenomena to basic and more or less simple processes is feasible if one of two prerequisites is realized. Either the more complex phenomenon can be traced back to a number of more elementary processes among which only weak interactions occur. The paradigm of this type of reduction is statistical gas theory at supercritical temperature and at low pressure, or population genetic theory of large populations with weak selection and the absence of epistatic interactions. Both, the gas molecule as well as the gene can be treated independently of the rest of the system. The other situation where reduction is feasible, is given if there exists a simple linear superposition rule which allows to predict systems behavior from that of elementary processes. An example is the interaction of electromagnetic waves at low amplitude, i.e. linear optics. In any other case the study of elementary processes has to be complemented by a kind of systems theory.

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Authors
  1. Günter P. Wagner
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Zürich, Switzerland

    Paul Hoyningen-Huene

  2. University of Vienna, Austria

    Franz M. Wuketits

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Wagner, G.P. (1989). The Variance Allocation Hypothesis of Stasis and Punctuation. In: Hoyningen-Huene, P., Wuketits, F.M. (eds) Reductionism and Systems Theory in the Life Sciences. Theory and Decision Library, vol 10. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1003-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1003-4_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6941-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1003-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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