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| Reduction - Middle French reduction, redduction, redduccion, French réduction [[action]] of coming closer, coming [[together]] (c1290 in Old French as redution), restoration to a previous state, re-[[establishment]] (1300) | | Reduction - Middle French reduction, redduction, redduccion, French réduction [[action]] of coming closer, coming [[together]] (c1290 in Old French as redution), restoration to a previous state, re-[[establishment]] (1300) |
| *Reduction-''ism''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943 1943] | | *Reduction-''ism''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943 1943] |
| + | <center>For lessons on the related [[topic]] of '''''[[Materialism]]''''', follow [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Materialism '''''this link'''''].</center> |
| ==Definitions== | | ==Definitions== |
| *1: [[explanation]] of [[complex]] life-[[science]] [[processes]] and [[phenomena]] in terms of the [[laws]] of [[physics]] and [[chemistry]]; also : a [[theory]] or [[doctrine]] that complete reductionism is possible | | *1: [[explanation]] of [[complex]] life-[[science]] [[processes]] and [[phenomena]] in terms of the [[laws]] of [[physics]] and [[chemistry]]; also : a [[theory]] or [[doctrine]] that complete reductionism is possible |
| *2: a [[procedure]] or [[theory]] that reduces [[complex]] [[data]] and phenomena to [[simple]] [[terms]] | | *2: a [[procedure]] or [[theory]] that reduces [[complex]] [[data]] and phenomena to [[simple]] [[terms]] |
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− | <center>For lessons on the related [[topic]] of '''''[[Materialism]]''''', follow [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Materialism '''''this link'''''].</center>
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| ==Description== | | ==Description== |
| '''Reductionism''' can mean either (a) an approach to [[understanding]] the [[nature]] of [[complex]] things by reducing them to the [[interactions]] of their [[parts]], or to [[simpler]] or more fundamental [[things]] or (b) a [[philosophical]] position that a [[complex]] [[system]] is nothing but the [[sum]] of its [[parts]], and that an account of it can be reduced to accounts of [[individual]] constituents. This can be said of objects, [[phenomena]], [[explanations]], theories, and [[meanings]]. | | '''Reductionism''' can mean either (a) an approach to [[understanding]] the [[nature]] of [[complex]] things by reducing them to the [[interactions]] of their [[parts]], or to [[simpler]] or more fundamental [[things]] or (b) a [[philosophical]] position that a [[complex]] [[system]] is nothing but the [[sum]] of its [[parts]], and that an account of it can be reduced to accounts of [[individual]] constituents. This can be said of objects, [[phenomena]], [[explanations]], theories, and [[meanings]]. |