What is Reductionism?
[[Image:Digesting Duck.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Descartes]] held that non-human animals could be reductively explained as [[automaton|automata]] — ''De homine'', 1662. This image shows a [[duck]].]] '''Reductionism''' is the idea that a system can be totally determined by looking at its parts, and by combining these using rules such as [[logic]]. [[Theory|Theories]] can be reduced to [[observation]]s, [[concept]]s to things, and the laws of nature to the events that cause them. == Other page == *[[Holism]] (contrary notion) {{science-stub}} {{Philosophy topics}} [[Category:Philosophy of science]] [[Category:Philosophical movements and positions]]