Talk:Universal Diversity Patterns Across the Sciences

I'm not sure how this process works, so I will make a comment here and you can tell me if I placed in an appropriate location at the web site. (And also argue against the comment!) I am not sure if the comment is properly saved and accessible to you, so please feedback to me.

I think that by posing the issue as: "... the ultimate mechanisms underlying them would seem to be more general than those typically offered or considered by disciplinary researchers..." we need to be careful not to overlook the possibility that it is the universal irrelevance of mechanism (to first approximation), not a universality of mechanism, that creates putative universality of pattern.

Cheers, John

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I agree completely with John here, but would argue that perhaps part of our task is to help enlarge the term 'mechanism' to also include mathematical/logical/thermodynamic constraints. For instance, I have no problem in calling the Central Limit Theorem a 'mechanism' as it does generate pattern, albeit in a way different from the typical explanations for pattern provided by most disciplinary explinations.

Jeff

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