Consilience and unity in ocular anterior segment research
10.3980/j.issn.1672-5123.2025.1.01
- VernacularTitle:眼前节研究的融合与统一
- Author:
Araj HOUMAM
1
;
Araj HOUMAM
1
;
Araj HOUMAM
1
Author Information
1. Department of Health and Human Services, National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health (NEI/NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
anterior segment;
ocular surface;
cornea;
lens;
cataract;
posterior capsular opacification;
protein aggregation;
oxidative damage;
antioxidants;
fibrosis;
wound healing;
consilience
- From:
International Eye Science
2025;25(1):1-9
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
In his beautiful book, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, the eminent biologist Edward O Wilson, advocates the need for integration and reconciliation across the sciences. He defines consilience as “literally a ‘jumping together' of knowledge with a linking of facts … to create a common groundwork of explanation”. It is the premise of this paper that as much as basic biomedical research is in need of data generation using the latest available techniques-unifying available knowledge is just as critical. This involves the necessity to resolve contradictory findings, reduce silos, and acknowledge complexity. We take the cornea and the lens as case studies of our premise. Specifically, in this perspective, we discuss the conflicting and fragmented information on protein aggregation, oxidative damage, and fibrosis. These are fields of study that are integrally tied to anterior segment research. Our goal is to highlight the vital need for Wilson's consilience and unity of knowledge which in turn should lead to enhanced rigor and reproducibility, and most importantly, to greater understanding and not simply knowing.
