Ecology must avoid both oversimplified generality and unconnected facts

Evidence

We are guided in this effort by a philosophy that lies 4’between the devil of oversimplication [generality] on the one hand and a deep blue sea of endless unrelat­ ed facts on the other. The important thing is to ensure that neither gets the upper hand” (Lawton and McNeill, 1979). — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 1041

Categorization

• APHORISMS: A durable methodological balance worth returning to: neither premature generality nor fact-hoarding wins.