Reductionistic approaches

Collectivism is thus distinct from both the top-down reductionist approach traditionally favored by most physicists (system as a simple edifice of its microscopic parts), and the more recent neural-net-like bottom-up approach favored by connec-tionists (system as a synthesis of its constituent parts). The nonlinear inter-level feedback loop that makes up the collective is what makes a traditional linear analysis of such systems difficult, if not impossible. 

The dynamic,s underlying EINSTein is patterned after mobile CA rules, and are somewhat reminiscent of Braitenberg s Vehicles [brait84]. Specifically, EINSTein takes a artificial-life-like bottom-up, synthesist approach to the modeling of combat, rather than the more traditional top-down, or reductionist approach,... 

If we are to take a reductionist approach, then let it be one that is consistent with both of the fundamental theories of physics, the science that chemistry approximately reduces to (11). 

But what would become of Mendeleev s periodic system which now seemed to consist of 300 or so "elements" To some chemists, the discovery of isotopes implied the end of the periodic system as it was known.3 These chemists suggested that it would be necessary to consider the individual new isotopes as the new "elements." But the chemist Paneth adopted a less reductionist approach, arguing that the periodic table of the familiar chemical elements should be retained because it dealt with the "elements" that were of interest to chemists. A justification for this view was provided by the fact that, with a few exceptions, the chemical properties of isotopes of the same element are indistinguishable.4 Moreover, Paneth appealed to Mendeleev s distinction between the two senses of the concept of an "element" in order to provide a philosophical rationale for the retention of the chemist s periodic table. Paneth argued that the discovery of isotopes of the elements represents the discovery of new elements as simple substances, whereas periodic... 

A third quotation to illustrate the naively reductionist approach of Bent and Weinhold is as follows ... 

But the reductionist approach adopted by Bent and Weinhold is nevertheless consistent with their wanting to explain the periodic table through the properties of the neutral atoms of the elements rather than their macroscopic properties. 

Similarity clustering implies an automated generalization of increments using a similarity hierarchical clustering procedure, followed by the optimization of the generic increments. This procedure combines the advantages of both the constructionist and reductionist approaches, and is a central method in AB/LogP. 

FIG. 2.1. The Periodic Table of the elements, the full understanding of which provides ideally a reductionist approach to the explanation of chemistry. The essential bulk and trace elements for living cells are also shown but knowledge of them is not in any way adequate for an explanation of biology... 

The development of vaccines is one of the most successful practical applications in immunology and in this field it is currently fashionable to make the reductionist claim that it will soon be possible to design effective synthetic vaccines on the basis of our knowledge of the molecules involved in immunological interactions. It seems to me that this claim arises from an unwarranted faith in the power of a reductionist approach for solving complex biological problems. Such a claim does not take into account that the protection against disease that can be achieved by vaccination is a... 

These principles of macromolecular organization replaced the naive vision of some of the early molecular biologists, who tried to reduce each complex structure and function of organisms directly to one (or a limited number of) proteins or other macromolecules. The best example of this simplistic reductionist approach was the efforts aiming in the sixties at discovering the molecules of memory - molecules that allegedly encoded the memories or behaviors. Many articles and books1 were devoted to this search, without any success. 

Marc Van Regenmortel I want to ask Alex whether he believes that explanations must necessarily possess causal efficacy or efficiency. In other words, if you take a reductionist approach, must you necessarily go on believing in linear causality. .. ... 

It is imperative, however, to understand the probabilistic nature of such experiments a promising profile on pharmacogenomic and toxicogenomic screens will enhance the likelihood of having selected an ultimately successful compound, and will achieve this goal quicker than conventional animal experimentation, but will do so only with a certain likelihood of success. The less reductionist approach of the animal experiment will still be needed. It is to be anticipated, however, that such approaches will constitute an important, time- and resource-saving first evaluation or screening step that will help to focus and reduce the number of animal experiments that will ultimately need to be conducted. 

Diet plays an important role in most of the chronic diseases that are the largest causes of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. In a reductionist approach, scientists have often made the role of individual nutrients in the maintenance of health the focus of their research. This approach, and in particular the discovery of essential nutrients and their roles in disease prevention, has been instrumental in the elimination of deficiency diseases in large parts of the world. However, nutrients are not consumed in isolation, but as components of whole foods and in an infinite number of combinations. In addition, foods contain a myriad of chemicals (or non-nutrients) which either serve no role in human metabolism or for which the role has not yet been elucidated. This introduces a significant level of complexity, which may be difficult to unravel. 

Consider the properties and behavior of organized interacting systems and processes, thereby responding to the trend of chemistry and chemical engineering to incorporate integrated, rather than reductionist, approaches. 

Here biophysical methods contributed a reductionistic approach. By analyzing a limited number of actors under well defined conditions, the mechanisms of nucleotide exchange, intrinsic and stimulated GTP-hydrolysis, effector binding, and membrane attachment have been elaborated to present a comprehensive model. 

---