Tambone V, Ghilardi G
Istituto di Filosofia dell'Agire Scientifico e Tecnologico, Università Campus Bio-Medico Roma, Italia.
Clin Ter. 2012;163(3):e133-43.
The aim of this work is to address the question of reduction in the scientific method, to evaluate its legitimacy as well as its pro and contra from an epistemological point of view. In the first paragraph we classify some kinds of reductionism, analysing their presuppositions and epistemological status and showing some examples of scientific reduction. The presentation includes a classificatory table that shows some of the different forms of biological reductionism. In the second paragraph we study the epistemology of science starting from its modern beginning: the Vienna Circle, focusing on the meaning of methodological reductionism. What did it mean for science to define itself mainly as method, which effects did this new concept of science have on methodology and what kind of problems did this movement bring about. In the third paragraph we examine the reactions triggered by methodological reductionism, we analyze the theoretical consistency of these answers, trying to offer a balanced view. We show how complexity can be seen as a paradigm of the anti-reductionism effort, and we study its epistemological basis. In the fourth paragraph we outline our operative proposal: the reduction that is both aware and cooperative. We point out the main reasons why science cannot avoid being reductive in some way, and therefore how we need to deal with this feature in order to prevent it to degenerate into reductionism. We show some examples of this new proposal taken from the practical realm and from literature, where it is possible to discern the spirit of this alternative methodology.
这项工作的目的是探讨科学方法中的还原问题，从认识论的角度评估其合理性以及利弊。在第一段中，我们对几种还原论进行分类，分析它们的预设和认识论地位，并展示一些科学还原的例子。介绍内容包括一个分类表，展示了生物还原论的一些不同形式。在第二段中，我们从科学的现代起源——维也纳学派开始研究科学认识论，重点关注方法论还原论的意义。将科学主要定义为方法对科学意味着什么，这种新的科学概念对方法论有什么影响，以及这场运动带来了哪些问题。在第三段中，我们考察方法论还原论引发的反应，分析这些答案的理论一致性，试图提供一个平衡的观点。我们展示了复杂性如何被视为反还原论努力的一种范式，并研究其认识论基础。在第四段中，我们概述我们的操作性提议：既自觉又合作的还原。我们指出科学在某种程度上无法避免还原的主要原因，以及因此我们需要如何应对这一特征以防止其退化为还原论。我们展示了一些从实践领域和文献中选取的这一新提议的例子，从中可以辨别出这种替代方法论的精神。
