Complex systems, reductionism

Heng HHQ (2008) The conflict between complex systems and reductionism. JAMA 300 1580-1581... 

Ge W, Chen F, Gao J, et al Analytical multi-scale method for multi-phase complex systems in process engineering—bridging reductionism and holism, Chem Eng Sci 62 3346—3377, 2007. 

Explorative data analysis and especially EMDA offers an integrated set of methods to furnish us computer-aided eyes to have a global perception of the high-dimensional world, and to do what we, as researchers, appreciate better unravel relations, understand/coimect patterns, formulate hypothesis and progress further. In other words, they offer us the possibility of handling systems complexity beyond reductionism. 

The empirical and fully mechanistic models reflect the extreme of both situations, either a huge reductionism or a complex description of the biological system. As each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, a hybrid of both (the so-called semi-mechanistic approach) was introduced into the field of clinical modeling and simulation. Within the area of M S these models are also often just referred to as mechanistic models . 

While reductionism in science may be frequently debated in the halls of HPS departments, the fact remains that faith in the validity of reductionist approach pervades, indeed is not questioned within, the scientific research community at large. Two interesting elements arise when considering rejection of computational simulations of their subject matter by chemists, then. As discussed previously, the rejection may arise because computational methods cannot simulate something so complex as a real chemical system. This can be seen as a rejection of reductionism we cannot understand the whole system by understanding the basic physical laws underlying it when the system is so complex. On the other hand, in the number of approximations that computational models must make in order to be able to model even a helium atom, they defy absolute reductionism. In this case, their rejection is in favour of reductionism. 

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