In Praise of Reductionism
- Published
A collection of (mostly) favorable accounts of reductionism.
Francis Crick:
Reductionism, Francis Crick holds, is “the main theoretical method that has driven the development of physics, chemistry and molecular biology. It is largely responsible for the spectacular developments of modern science. It is the only way to proceed until and unless we are confronted with strong experimental evidence that demands we modify our attitude.” —p356, Philosophical foundations of neuroscience
Carl Sagan:
Of course, we can make mistakes when applying the reductionist program to science. As we know, there are phenomena in the world that cannot be reduced to a relatively small number of simple laws. But given what has been discovered over the past few centuries, complaints about reductionism seem foolish. It is not a defect of science, but one of its greatest triumphs. —p316, The demon haunted world
Reduction is explanation. Everything should be explained reductionistically. But the reduction must be hierarchical and step by step. Greedy reductionism, or precipice reductionism, leaps from the top of the hierarchy to the very bottom in one step. Such explanations satisfy nobody.
Reductionism is explanation. Everything must be explained reductionistically. But it must be explained hierarchically and in step-by-step reductionism. Greedy reductionism, or precipice reductionism, is to leap from the top of the hierarchy down to the bottom of the hierarchy in one step. That you can’t do; you won’t explain anything to anybody’s satisfaction. —A survival machine
In a talk-show parody, a dinosaur expert proudly presents her new theory of the brontosaurus: all brontosauruses are thin at one end, much thicker in the middle, and thin again at the other end. We laugh because she has not explained it in terms of deeper principles: she has not reduced it. Even “understand,” literally “stand under,” suggests descending to a deeper level of analysis.
In a talk-show parody in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, an expert on dinosaurs trumpets her new theory of the brontosaurus: “All brontosauruses are thin at one end; much, much thicker in the middle; and then thin again at the far end.” We laugh because she has not explained her subject in terms of deeper principles - she has not “reduced” it, in the good sense. Even the word understand - literally, “stand under” - alludes to descending to a deeper level of analysis. —p72, The blank slate
Woo Jung-ho:
The thought process that gives the most fundamental pleasure in human intellectual life is reducing surprise and complexity to predictability and simplicity. —p211, Principles and Methods of Teaching and Learning Mathematics