Reductionism Emergence And Levels Of Reality
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Reductionism Emergence And Levels Of Reality
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Author : Sergio Chibbaro
language : en
Publisher: Springer
Release Date : 2014-05-13
Reductionism Emergence And Levels Of Reality written by Sergio Chibbaro and has been published by Springer this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2014-05-13 with Science categories.
Scientists have always attempted to explain the world in terms of a few unifying principles. In the fifth century B.C. Democritus boldly claimed that reality is simply a collection of indivisible and eternal parts or atoms. Over the centuries his doctrine has remained a landmark, and much progress in physics is due to its distinction between subjective perception and objective reality. This book discusses theory reduction in physics, which states that the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts: the properties of things are directly determined by their constituent parts. Reductionism deals with the relation between different theories that address different levels of reality, and uses extrapolations to apply that relation in different sciences. Reality shows a complex structure of connections, and the dream of a unified interpretation of all phenomena in several simple laws continues to attract anyone with genuine philosophical and scientific interests. If the most radical reductionist point of view is correct, the relationship between disciplines is strictly inclusive: chemistry becomes physics, biology becomes chemistry, and so on. Eventually, only one science, indeed just a single theory, would survive, with all others merging in the Theory of Everything. Is the current coexistence of different sciences a mere historical venture which will end when the Theory of Everything has been established? Can there be a unified description of nature? Rather than an analysis of full reductionism, this book focuses on aspects of theory reduction in physics and stimulates reflection on related questions: is there any evidence of actual reduction? Are the examples used in the philosophy of science too simplistic? What has been endangered by the search for (the) ultimate truth? Has the dream of reductionist reason created any monsters? Is big science one such monster? What is the point of embedding science Y within science X, if predictions cannot be made on that basis?
Analysis The Fullness Of Reality
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Author : Richard H. Jones
language : en
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Release Date : 2013-03-18
Analysis The Fullness Of Reality written by Richard H. Jones and has been published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-03-18 with Emergence (Philosophy) categories.
Is the world nothing but matter pushing matter in a void? Are humans nothing but soulless machines for the survival of genes? Is the mind nothing but the brain? Is all science reducible to physics? Must scientists restrict the substance and structure of reality to physical forces? Does society consist merely of individuals or are holistic forces also at work? Is God really no more than a projection of nature, society, or our psyche? Or in each case do new realities emerge that cannot be reduced? Virtually every scholarly and popular book and magazine article on the mind, science, or religion touches on these issues of reductionism. But for all the interest in the topic, no in-depth introduction of the subject exists. The objective of this philosophical work is to fill that void. This book attempts to provide one common framework for studying how the issue of reduction versus emergence arises in each of the areas in which it comes up - the natural sciences, philosophy of mind, the social sciences, and religion. It tries to resolve some of the disputes by a new analysis: differentiating five types of reductionism and antireductionism - ontological, structural, theoretical, conceptual, and methodological. To help clarify the issues, a brief history of how reductionism and emergentism have developed in Western philosophy is also presented. By distinguishing different types of reductionism and by examining the issues in all the areas of philosophical interest collectively rather than limiting the discussion to just one area, the general issues surrounding reduction versus emergence become clearer. This approach brings together many of the most interesting questions today in philosophy, science, and religious studies. The attempt throughout the work is to present the reductionists' and emergentists' strongest case on each issue and to identify problems with both sides. But it is argued that in the end the reductionists in each area currently have the weaker position. The work concludes with a discussion of the centrality of nonreducible features in reality and asks whether science under a reductionist vision can ever explain the emergence of higher levels of phenomena.
Reduction And Emergence In Science And Philosophy
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Author : Carl Gillett
language : en
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Release Date : 2016-09-08
Reduction And Emergence In Science And Philosophy written by Carl Gillett and has been published by Cambridge University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2016-09-08 with Science categories.
Grand debates over reduction and emergence are playing out across the sciences, but these debates have reached a stalemate, with both sides declaring victory on empirical grounds. In this book, Carl Gillett provides theoretical frameworks with which to understand these debates, illuminating both the novel positions of scientific reductionists and emergentists and the recent empirical advances that drive these new views. Gillett also highlights the flaws in existing philosophical frameworks and reorients the discussion to reflect the new scientific advances and issues, including the nature of 'parts' and 'wholes', the character of aggregation, and thus the continuity of nature itself. Most importantly, Gillett shows how disputes about concrete scientific cases are empirically resolvable and hence how we can break the scientific stalemate. Including a detailed glossary of key terms, this volume will be valuable for researchers and advanced students of the philosophy of science and metaphysics, and scientific researchers working in the area.
Reductionism
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Author : Richard H. Jones
language : en
Publisher: Bucknell University Press
Release Date : 2000
Reductionism written by Richard H. Jones and has been published by Bucknell University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2000 with Philosophy categories.
Reductionism's approach brings together many of the most interesting questions today in philosophy (consciousness and computers) and in science (issues of complexity and self-organization). It also presents a brief history of how reductionism has developed in Western philosophy and religion, with reference to Indian philosophy on certain issues.
Re Engineering Philosophy For Limited Beings
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Author : William C. Wimsatt
language : en
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Release Date : 2007-06-30
Re Engineering Philosophy For Limited Beings written by William C. Wimsatt and has been published by Harvard University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2007-06-30 with Philosophy categories.
Analytic philosophers once pantomimed physics, trying to understand the world by breaking it down. Thinkers from the Darwinian sciences now pose alternatives to such reductionism. Wimsatt argues that today’s scientists seek to atomize phenomena only to understand how entities, events, and processes articulate at different levels.
Reductionism Vs Emergence
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Author : Kaia Stonebrook
language : en
Publisher: Publifye AS
Release Date : 2025-02-25
Reductionism Vs Emergence written by Kaia Stonebrook and has been published by Publifye AS this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2025-02-25 with Science categories.
Reductionism vs Emergence explores two fundamental approaches to understanding complex systems: reductionism, which dissects systems into their components, and emergence, which studies properties arising at higher levels of organization. These differing perspectives shape scientific inquiry across various disciplines, from physics to biology. The book highlights how reductionism, a cornerstone of scientific methodology for centuries, has enabled us to understand the basic building blocks of reality. Conversely, emergence helps explain phenomena like consciousness and climate patterns, which cannot be predicted solely from individual components, emphasizing holistic interactions. This book uniquely argues that both reductionism and emergence are necessary and complementary, offering a balanced perspective rather than advocating for one over the other. It traces the historical roots of each concept, from ancient atomists to modern complexity science, setting the stage for current debates. Through case studies in physics, biology, and neuroscience, the book illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. For example, it contrasts particle physics' reductionist approach with emergent phenomena in condensed matter physics. Ultimately, the book proposes a framework for integrating reductionist and emergent perspectives. It begins by defining core concepts and their historical roots, progresses through specific case studies, and culminates in a synthesis. By drawing on scientific literature, philosophical treatises, and empirical data, the book aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of complex systems, appealing to scientists, philosophers, and anyone interested in the nature of reality.
There Is No Theory Of Everything
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Author : Lars Q. English
language : en
Publisher: Springer
Release Date : 2017-08-14
There Is No Theory Of Everything written by Lars Q. English and has been published by Springer this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-08-14 with Science categories.
The main purpose of this book is to introduce a broader audience to emergence by illustrating how discoveries in the physical sciences have informed the ways we think about it. In a nutshell, emergence asserts that non-reductive behavior arises at higher levels of organization and complexity. As physicist Philip Anderson put it, “more is different.” Along the text's conversational tour through the terrain of quantum physics, phase transitions, nonlinear and statistical physics, networks and complexity, the author highlights the various philosophical nuances that arise in encounters with emergence. The final part of the book zooms out to reflect on some larger lessons that emergence affords us. One of those larger lessons is the realization that the great diversity of theories and models, and the great variety of independent explanatory frameworks, will always be with us in the sciences and beyond. There is no “Theory of Everything” just around the corner waiting to be discovered. One of the main benefits of this book is that it will make a number of exciting scientific concepts that are not normally covered at this level accessible to a broader audience. The overall presentation, including the use of examples, analogies, metaphors, and biographical interludes, is geared for the educated non-specialist.
Comprehending The Complexity Of Countries
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Author : Hans Kuijper
language : en
Publisher: Springer Nature
Release Date : 2022-01-18
Comprehending The Complexity Of Countries written by Hans Kuijper and has been published by Springer Nature this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2022-01-18 with Social Science categories.
This book argues for computer-aided collaborative country research based on the science of complex and dynamic systems. It provides an in-depth discussion of systems and computer science, concluding that proper understanding of a country is only possible if a genuinely interdisciplinary and truly international approach is taken; one that is based on complexity science and supported by computer science. Country studies should be carefully designed and collaboratively carried out, and a new generation of country students should pay more attention to the fast growing potential of digitized and electronically connected libraries. In this frenzied age of globalization, foreign policy makers may – to the benefit of a better world – profit from the radically new country studies pleaded for in the book. Its author emphasizes that reductionism and holism are not antagonistic but complementary, arguing that parts are always parts of a whole and a whole has always parts.
Without Hierarchy
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Author : Mariam Thalos
language : en
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release Date : 2013-05-01
Without Hierarchy written by Mariam Thalos and has been published by Oxford University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-05-01 with Philosophy categories.
A venerable tradition in the metaphysics of science commends ontological reduction: the practice of analysis of theoretical entities into further and further proper parts, with the understanding that the original entity is nothing but the sum of these. This tradition implicitly subscribes to the principle that all the real action of the universe (also referred to as its "causation") happens at the smallest scales-at the scale of microphysics. A vast majority of metaphysicians and philosophers of science, covering a wide swath of the spectrum from reductionists to emergentists, defend this principle. It provides one pillar of the most prominent theory of science, to the effect that the sciences are organized in a hierarchy, according to the scales of measurement occupied by the phenomena they study. On this view, the fundamentality of a science is reckoned inversely to its position on that scale. This venerable tradition has been justly and vigorously countered-in physics, most notably: it is countered in quantum theory, in theories of radiation and superconduction, and most spectacularly in renormalization theories of the structure of matter. But these counters-and the profound revisions they prompt-lie just below the philosophical radar. This book illuminates these counters to the tradition principle, in order to assemble them in support of a vaster (and at its core Aristotelian) philosophical vision of sciences that are not organized within a hierarchy. In so doing, the book articulates the principle that the universe is active at absolutely all scales of measurement. This vision, as the book shows, is warranted by philosophical treatment of cardinal issues in the philosophy of science: fundamentality, causation, scientific innovation, dependence and independence, and the proprieties of explanation.
The Emergence And Nature Of Human History Volume One
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Author : Joseph Miller
language : en
Publisher: Lulu.com
Release Date : 2012-07-29
The Emergence And Nature Of Human History Volume One written by Joseph Miller and has been published by Lulu.com this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2012-07-29 with History categories.
This book attempts to define the issues that face us in trying to understand the often-overwhelming complexity of the human experience. It is intellectually challenging, broad in its scope, richly detailed, and densely argued. It is the first in a projected series of five volumes in which the author will seek to touch on every aspect of human historical reality and all the multitudinous variables that have shaped it.