Abstract
Biological diversity (BD) explored by biological systematics is a complex yet organized natural phenomenon and can be partitioned into several aspects, defined naturally with reference to various causal factors structuring biota. These BD aspects are studied by particular research programs based on specific taxonomic theories (TTs). They provide, in total, a framework for comprehending the structure of biological systematics and its multi-aspect relations to other fields of biology. General principles of individualizing BD aspects and construing TTs as quasi-axiomatics are briefly considered. It is stressed that each TT is characterized by a specific combination of interrelated ontological and epistemological premises most adequate to the BD aspect a TT deals with. The following contemporary research programs in systematics are recognized and characterized in brief: phenetic, rational (with several subprograms), numerical, typological (with several subprograms), biosystematic, biomorphic, phylogenetic (with several subprograms), and evo-devo. From a scientific pluralism perspective, all of these research programs, if related to naturally defined particular BD aspects, are of the same biological and scientific significance. They elaborate “locally” natural classifications that can be united by a generalized faceted classification.
Highlights
Monism vs. Pluralism in Biological SystematicsThe dilemma of scientific monism vs. scientific pluralism arose simultaneously with the beginning of modern science development
Without going deep into this issue, it seems to be enough, for the purposes of this article, to offer the following general declarations concerning just the taxonomic theory [11,17]. The latter is defined as a conceptual system containing generalized theoretical knowledge about what and how biological systematics explores
In characterizing the latter, the most focus is put primarily onto their philosophical foundations, regardless of the popularity they enjoy among biologists at various stages of the development of biological systematics
Summary
The dilemma of scientific monism vs. scientific pluralism arose simultaneously with the beginning of modern science development. The most important are formalized as taxonomic theories and developed into research programs peculiar to this discipline They differ in their ontological and epistemological foundations, in their principles of defining objects and tasks, in the methods of exploration, and in the modes of representation of the structure of biodiversity by classifications. This “three philosophies” viewpoint did not take into consideration or drastically reduce the significance of other “philosophies” that were not so actively discussed (typology, biosystematics, ecomorphological approach, etc.) Such an oversimplification provided a very distorted representation of the theoretical foundations of biological systematics, including diversity of the research programs operating in it, their historical and scientific-philosophical roots, their mutual interactions and influences, and their contributions toward the development of both systematics itself and biology overall. This includes consideration of some general principles of construing taxonomic theory
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