This reductionism is part of a much larger Western scientific tradition, often credited to the 17th century French philosopher, René Descartes: Study the pieces, and the marvels of the whole can be revealed.
That tenet has taken root so firmly and for so long that, for most people, the approach is synonymous with science. But there's a blindness, too - one increasingly apparent as society grapples with some of today's global issues, notably climate change.
The result is a failure to see - or at least a delay in spotting - connections between seemingly disparate systems: A disconnect between plankton blooms and ocean health and a cholera outbreak in Peru and the northward creep of parasites devastating East Coast oyster farms.
Or a failure to see a link between worsening wildfires, an explosion in ragweed blooms, asthma rates and greenhouse gas emissions. Read the full report here.
Source: by Douglas Fischer, Daily Climate editor, The Daily Climate.
