Abstract

FREITAS, Renan Springer de  and  FIGUEIREDO, Adriana Maria de. Why do efforts toward theoretical synthesis prove so successful in biology but not in sociology?. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos [online]. 2009, vol.16, n.3, pp. 729-745. ISSN 0104-5970.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-59702009000300010.

Rarely are efforts made to arrive at major theoretical syntheses in the realm of biology, while they are so often successful within the realm of sociology. Furthermore, though these efforts gain paradigmatic status in the former case, in the latter they lead to a 'Balkanization' of the discipline. The article explores what might account for this difference, seeking an answer through the reconstruction of one such effort in biology, which has covered more than two decades.

Keywords : theoretical synthesis; modern synthesis; epistemology.