How did de Candolle apply naturalism to societal structures?
My approach to understanding societal organization mirrored my botanical studies. I sought to identify the fundamental, observable principles that govern the interactions and structures within communities, much like I identified homologous structures in plants. The rigorous, empirical method of natural science, with its emphasis on classification and the search for underlying laws, provided a framework for examining social phenomena. It was about discerning the inherent mechanisms and relationships.
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