re·duc·tion·ism (r -d k sh -nz m)n. An attempt or tendency to explain a complex set of facts, entities, phenomena, or structures by another, simpler set: "For the last 400 years science has advanced by reductionism ... The idea is that you could understand the world, all of nature, by examining smaller and smaller pieces of it. When assembled, the small pieces would explain the whole" (John Holland). re·duc tion·ist adj. & n.re·duc tion·istic adj. |
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| Noun | 1. | reductionism - a theory that all complex systems can be completely understood in terms of their components theory - a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory" |
| 2. | reductionism - the analysis of complex things into simpler constituents analytic thinking, analysis - the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations |
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