reductionism

IPA/rɪˈdʌkʃənɪzəm/
IPA/rɪˈdʌkʃənɪzəm/

reductionism — 名詞

1. The habit of explaining complicated subjects with such a basic account that esse

1.名詞C1
釋義

過度簡化

忽視重要細節的過度簡化

The habit of explaining complicated subjects with such a basic account that essential information or different viewpoints get lost.

例句

Critics accused the report of reductionism for blaming the economic crisis entirely on a single cause.

批評者指責該報告過度簡化，將經濟危機完全歸咎於單一原因。

accuse + of + reductionism

Professor Yael warned that reductionism in historical analysis often ignores the role of individual human decisions.

雅埃爾教授警告，歷史分析中的過度簡化往往忽略個人抉擇的作用。

reductionism in [domain]

同義詞
  • oversimplification

    more general and less theoretical; oversimplification can be accidental, while reductionism suggests a deliberate method or mindset

  • simplification

    neutral term; reductionism implies the simplification goes too far and distorts the truth

反義詞
  • nuance

    careful attention to subtle differences rather than flattening them

  • holism

    the view that the whole cannot be understood by looking at its parts alone

文法句型

reductionism in + noun phrase

accuse + of + reductionism

用法筆記

This sense carries a strong critical or disapproving tone. It is most often used to argue that an analysis, argument, or explanation is misleading because it leaves out necessary complexity.

常見錯誤

❌The report used reductionism to explain the topic clearly.
✅The report was accused of reductionism for oversimplifying the topic.
💡reductionism has a negative connotation and implies the simplification is excessive or misleading, not neutral or helpful.

2. The position that biological life, in all its complexity, can ultimately be acco

2.名詞C1
釋義

科學還原論

主張生物現象可由物理化學解釋

The position that biological life, in all its complexity, can ultimately be accounted for by the same fundamental rules that apply to non-living matter, without needing additional biological principles of its own.

例句

The biologist rejected pure reductionism, saying that a living cell's behavior cannot be predicted from its individual molecules alone.

這位生物學家拒絕純粹的科學還原論，認為活細胞的行為無法單從其個別分子來預測。

reject + reductionism

Reductionism has helped scientists understand how DNA stores genetic information through the chemical bonds between its molecules.

科學還原論幫助科學家了解DNA如何透過分子間的化學鍵來儲存遺傳資訊。

同義詞
  • physicalism

    a broader philosophical position that everything that exists is physical; reductionism is one way to apply physicalism to biology

  • mechanism

    the view that living things operate like machines; more common in historical philosophy of science

反義詞
  • holism

    the view that living systems have properties that their individual parts do not possess

  • emergentism

    the belief that complex systems produce new properties that cannot be predicted from their components

文法句型

reductionism + verb (explains / fails to explain)

reductionism in + scientific field

用法筆記

This sense is used mainly in philosophy of science and theoretical biology. It is often contrasted with holism or emergentism, which argue that living systems have properties that cannot be fully reduced to physics and chemistry.

常見錯誤

❌Reductionism proves that love is just chemicals in the brain.
✅Some scientists use reductionism to study the chemical basis of emotions.
💡reductionism is a belief or method, not an established scientific conclusion; it is debated, not proven.

3. The theory or method of understanding a complex system by breaking it down into

3.名詞C1
釋義

化約方法

將系統拆解為組成部分來分析

The theory or method of understanding a complex system by breaking it down into its simpler parts and studying each component separately, with the assumption that the whole can be explained through its parts.

例句

The chemistry lab applied reductionism to study the compound by first examining the properties of each element within it.

化學實驗室採用化約方法研究該化合物，先檢查其中每種元素的性質。

apply + reductionism + to-infinitive

Allison used reductionism to analyse the computer network by testing each server's performance independently.

艾莉森應用化約方法分析電腦網路，獨立測試每台伺服器的效能。

同義詞
  • analysis

    a broader term that does not carry the theoretical claim that the whole is fully explained by its parts

  • decomposition

    more concrete and technical; used especially in chemistry, computing, and mathematics for breaking a system into functional units

反義詞
  • synthesis

    combining separate parts to form a connected whole; the opposite direction of study

  • holism

    the approach that systems must be studied as complete wholes, not just as collections of parts

文法句型

reductionism + to-infinitive

rely on + reductionism

apply + reductionism

用法筆記

This is the broadest and most neutral sense, describing a widely used analytical approach across many academic fields. It is often discussed alongside its opposite, holism, and the two are compared when evaluating research methods.

常見錯誤

❌Reductionism is just another word for analysis.
✅Reductionism is a specific approach that assumes a system can be fully understood through its parts, while analysis is a more general term for careful examination.
💡reductionism carries the extra claim that the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts.