Local knowledge, environmental politics, and the founding of ecology in the United States. Stephen Forbes and "The Lake as a Microcosm" (1887)

Stephen Forbes's "The Lake as a Microcosm" is one of the founding documents of the science of ecology in the United States. By tracing the connections between scientists and local fishermen underlying the research on floodplain lakes presented in "The Lake as a Microcosm," this essay shows how the birth of ecology was tied to local knowledge and the local politics of environmental transformation. Forbes and the other scientists of the Illinois Natural History Survey relied on fishermen for manual labor, expertise in catching fish, and knowledge of the natural history of the fishes. As Forbes and his colleagues worked in close contact with fishermen, they also adopted many of their political concerns over the privatization of the floodplain and became politically active in supporting their interests. The close connection between scientists and local knowledge forced the ecologists to reframe the boundaries of ecology as objective or political, pure or applied, local or scientific.     

从中国与美日德法英科技比较看中国科技发展

开展中国与主要发达国家的科技比较研究,有助于以世界眼光看待中国,认清中国科技在世界中的位置,把握世界主要国家科技发展的动态,明晰中国的优势和差距;有助于借鉴国际经验,制订有效的科技发展战略与政策,有效规划与管理科技活动。本文归纳分析了中国与美国、日本、德国、法国和英国这5个世界上科技最发达国家科技的比较研究要点,从中可以看到中国科技的发展,并提出了政策建议。