Abstract
In The Structure of Science, Ernest Nagel distinguishes two formal necessary (though not sufficient) conditions of reduction which he characterizes as the requirement of connectability and the requirement of derivability. The first says that, in order to reduce a theory T to another theory T1, some “coordinating definitions” or “bridge laws”, which have the form of conditionals, have to be stated such that they connect all basic predicates of the reduced theory to some basic predicates of the reducing theory. The second requirement is that the laws of the reduced theory have to be deducible from the laws of the reducing theory plus the connecting statement plus, perhaps, some singular statements about initial conditions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Balzer, W. and F. Miihlholzer, [l982]: ‘Klassische Stoftmechanik’, Zeitschrift fur allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie.
Falk, G. und H. Jung, [1959]: Axiomatik der Thermodynamic, in S. Fliigge (ed.), Handbuch der Physik, vol. III/2.
Feyerabend, P.K., 1962: Explanation, Reduction, and Empiricism1, in H. Feigl and G. Maxwell (eds.), Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. III, Minneapolis.
Feyerabend, P.K., [1977]: ‘Changing Patterns of Reconstruction’, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, vol. 28.
Giles, R., [1964]: Mathematical Foundations of Thermodynamics, Mew York.
Kimbrough, S.O., [1979]: ‘On the Reduction of Genetics to Molecular Biology’, Philosophy of Science, 46.
Krajewski, W., [l977]: Correspondence Principle and Growth of Science, Dordrecht.
Kuhn, T.S., [1970]: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed. Chicago.
Kuhn, T.S., [1976]: ‘Theory-Change as Structure- Change: Comments on the Sneed Formalism’, Erkenntnis, vol. 10
Ludwig, G, [1978]: Die Grundstrukturen einer physi- kalischen Theorie, Heidelberg.
Mayr, D., [l976]: ‘ Investigations of the Concept of Reduction, I’, Erkenntnis, vol. 10.
Moulines, C. U., [l975]: ‘A Logical Reconstruction of Simple Equilibrium Thermodynamics’, Erkenntnis, 9/1.
Moulines, C. U., [l980]: ‘ Intertheoretic Approximation: The Kepler-Newton Case’, Synthese, 45.
Moulines, C. U., [l981] A General Scheme for Intertheoretic Approximation, in A. Hartkamper and H. J. Schmidt (eds.), Structure and Approximation in Physical Theory, New York.
Nagel, E, [1961]: The Structure of Science, New York.
Pearce, D., [l982]: ‘Logical Properties of the Structuralist Concept of Reduction’, Erkenntnis, vol. 18.
Sneed, J. D.,[l97l]: The Logical Structure of Mathematical Physics, Dordrecht.
Spector, M., [1978]: Concepts of Reduction in Physical Sc’ience, Philadelphia.
Stegmuller, W., [l976]: The Structure and Dynamics of Theories, New York.
Stegmuller, W., |l979]: The Structuralist View of Theories, Heidelberg.
Yoshida, R., [1977]: Reduction in the Physical Sciences, Halifax.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Moulines, C.U. (1984). Ontological Reduction in the Natural Sciences (1). In: Balzer, W., Pearce, D.A., Schmidt, HJ. (eds) Reduction in Science. Synthese Library, vol 175. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6454-9_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6454-9_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-009-6456-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-6454-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive