There's a fine line between writing down a single equation that you claim governs an entire system and using data to come up with some equations which (based on

There's a fine line between writing down a single equation that you claim governs an entire system and using data to come up with some equations which (based on the data) you claim describes the system. Actually I take it back. There is no line. They are the same thing. It's just that one is based on very small amounts of data, and the other has more complicated-looking equations. It's all still math, folks. > Complex natural systems defy standard mathematical analysis So the punchline is that ecologists and the author of this article have a very narrow view of what "standard" mathematical analysis entails. It's great that ecology is making strides forward, but this isn't a groundbreaking departure, it's just them catching up to modern mathematical analysis.