The Problem of Reductionism in Science by E Agazzi

The Problem of Reductionism in Science by E Agazzi

The topic to which this book is devoted is reductionism, and not reduction. The difference in the adoption of these two denominations is not, contrary to what might appear at first sight, just a matter of preference between a more abstract (reductionism) or a more concrete (reduction) terminology for indicating the same sUbject matter. In fact, the difference is that between a philosophical doctrine (or, perhaps, simply a philosophical tenet or claim) and a scientific procedure. Of course, this does not mean that these two fields are separated; they are only distinct, and this already means that they are also likely to be interrelated. However it is useful to consider them separately, if at least to better understand how and why they are interconnected. Just to give a first example of difference, we can remark that a philosophical doctrine is something which makes a claim and, as such, invites controversy and should, in a way, be challenged. A scientific procedure, on the other hand, is something which concretely exists, and as such must be first of all described, interpreted, understood, defined precisely and analyzed critically; this work may well lead to uncovering limitations of this procedure, or of certain ways of conceiving or defining it, but it does not lead to really challenging it.

The Editors: Evandro Agazzi has received a double education in philosophy and science, and has been professor of philosophical disciplines as well as of scientific disciplines at various universities in Europe and America. He was President of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies, of the International Institute of Philosophy, and is the current President of the International Academy of Philosophy of Science. He has authored or edited 70 volumes and published more than 700 scientific papers.
Fabio Minazzi is Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Salento (Lecce) and has worked especially in the fields of philosophy of science, history of modern and contemporary philosophy. He has authored or edited about 70 volumes and published more than 150 scientific papers.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780792314066
ISBN 10	0792314069
Title	The Problem of Reductionism in Science
Author	E Agazzi
Series	Episteme
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Kluwer Academic Publishers
Year published	1991-08-31
Number of pages	217
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.