A forest is more than just an assembly of trees.This simple observation,almost self-evident in daily life,points to a profound intellectual problem:how should we understand the relation between parts and wholes?Trees ...A forest is more than just an assembly of trees.This simple observation,almost self-evident in daily life,points to a profound intellectual problem:how should we understand the relation between parts and wholes?Trees constitute the forest,yet the forest is not merely a numerical sum of trees.It has its own ecology,dynamics,and functions.The forest,for example,stores carbon across landscapes,regulates water through soils,harbors biodiversity,and sustains resilience in ways no single tree can.To stare only at the tree is to risk missing the forest altogether.The familiar phrase“can’t see the forest for the trees”thus expresses not merely a perceptual failure,but a methodological warning.展开更多
基金support from the Major Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22595400 and 22595401)the Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Aggregate Science.
摘要A forest is more than just an assembly of trees.This simple observation,almost self-evident in daily life,points to a profound intellectual problem:how should we understand the relation between parts and wholes?Trees constitute the forest,yet the forest is not merely a numerical sum of trees.It has its own ecology,dynamics,and functions.The forest,for example,stores carbon across landscapes,regulates water through soils,harbors biodiversity,and sustains resilience in ways no single tree can.To stare only at the tree is to risk missing the forest altogether.The familiar phrase“can’t see the forest for the trees”thus expresses not merely a perceptual failure,but a methodological warning.