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The operating principle is homogeneity. Purity is a bit of a misnomer because a "perfectly" homogeneous species with no distinctive heterogeneous groups would
by feanaro 8y ago
The operating principle is homogeneity.
Purity is a bit of a misnomer because a "perfectly" homogeneous species with no distinctive heterogeneous groups would have to be called pure, but that's not usually how people use the word. The implication is usually that there are several distinct, homogeneous groups within which there is homogeneity among its members.
Having homogeneity at some level, even if it ends up being in the form of several homogeneous groups, allows one to make useful scientific findings and generalizations. On the other hand, if everything was very heterogeneous, down to each individual, it would be very hard to find a general statement applicable to any appreciable number of individuals.
- chx 8y ago> homogeneous groups, allows one to make useful scientific findings and generalizations. On the other hand, if everything was very heterogeneous, down to each individual, it would be very hard to find a general statement applicable to any appreciable number of individuals. and yet it is possible we will need to end up where individual advice is the only one working
- feanaro 8y agoFor some phenomena, that might turn out to be true. However, counterexamples are fairly prominent and obvious, e.g. there is a very large subset of humans (~all) for which antibiotics work well for almost all bacterial diseases.