[xmca] activity unit of analysis

By unit we mean a product of analysis that, as distinct from elements, retains all the basic properties of the whole. These properties of the whole are not distributed among its living parts. It is not the chemical formula of water, but the study of the molecule and molecular movement that is the key to explaining the properties of water. Similarly, the living cell that preserves all the basic qualities of life of the living organism is the real unit of biological analysis.

(Cited in Wertsch, 1985, p. 194)

taken from:

http://www.aare.edu.au/00pap/lim00069.htm
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Received on Sun Jul 29 18:59 PDT 2007