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From: simonb@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU (No way! Way!)
Subject: Re: a theoretical biology for alife...
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References: <A.J.Hirst-280395145129@uu-igor-mac.open.ac.uk> 	<3l9erl$632@gap.cco.caltech.edu> <HIEBELER.95Mar29104126@hershey.harvard.edu>
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 06:05:10 GMT
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hiebeler@husc.harvard.edu (Dave Hiebeler) writes:

>  Regarding the original question, however, even with the higher level
>models, (mathematical) ecologists haven't necessarily stuck with
>life-as-it-is all the time.  Once you've developed the framework of a
>model, you are free to ask questions about the model itself even for
>parameter values which may be biologically unrealistic, saying "well
>what if the parameters *could* have these values?".  Granted, most
>people who tie the models back into biology (rather than writing a
>purely theoretical paper about the models themselves) generally do
>restrict themselves to parameter regimes that reflect observed
>biological systems.

It is interesting to remember R. A. Fisher's comment that in order to
understand why there are only 2 sexes, it is instructive to examine what
would happen if there were seven sexes. Exploring biologically unrealistic
parameter spaces can shed light on what we observe in real systems. But
I think we always have to come back to testing our hypotheses against 
nature. Otherwise we run the risk of leaving the realm of science altogether.
Our theories and models may look elegant, but they won't mean very much.

Simon.



>--
>Dave Hiebeler     hiebeler@husc.harvard.edu   ~{:#DZ4fV*<:#,LlQDHt1HAZ~}
>Graduate student in Applied Math / Ecology, Harvard University
-- 
Simon Blomberg                                   simonb@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU
School of Biol. Sciences, A08
University of Sydney                               Just another road kill
NSW   2006  Australia                        on the information superhighway.
