Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Using Whole Mount in situ Hybridization to Link Molecular and Organismal Biology
Published on: March 31, 2011
Integration without unification: an argument for pluralism in the biological sciences
Sandra D Mitchell1, Michael R Dietrich
1Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA. smitchel@pitt.edu
Abstract:
In this article, we consider the tension between unification and pluralism in biological theory. We begin with a consideration of historical efforts to establish a unified understanding of evolution in the neo-Darwinian synthesis. The fragmentation of the evolutionary synthesis by molecular evolution suggests the limitations of the general unificationist ideal for biology but not necessarily for integrating explanations. In the second half of this article, we defend a specific variety of pluralism that allows for the integration required for explanations of complex phenomena without unification on a large scale.
Related Concept Videos
The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes
The Evidence for Evolution
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms
Types of Genetic Transfer Between Organisms
Diversity of Protists II
Diversity of Protists I
