Reductionism
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Reductionism is any of several related philosophical ideas regarding the associations between phenomena which can be described in terms of other simpler or more fundamental phenomena.[1] It is also described as an intellectual and philosophical position that interprets a complex system as the sum of its parts.[2]
Definitions
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy suggests that reductionism is "one of the most used and abused terms in the philosophical lexicon" and suggests a three-part division:[3]
- Ontological reductionism: a belief that the whole of reality consists of a minimal number of parts.
- Methodological reductionism: the scientific attempt to provide an explanation in terms of ever-smaller entities.
- Theory reductionism: the suggestion that a newer theory does not replace or absorb an older one, but reduces it to more basic terms. Theory reduction itself is divisible into three parts: translation, derivation, and explanation.[4]
References
- ↑ Webster's Dictionary
- ↑ Kricheldorf, Hans R. (2016). Getting It Right in Science and Medicine: Can Science Progress through Errors? Fallacies and Facts (en) pp. 63. Cham: Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-30386-4
- ↑ Michael Ruse (2005). The Oxford Companion to Philosophy p. 793 Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-103747-4
- ↑ Alyssa Ney. "Reductionism". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. IEP, University of Tennessee.