reductionism

[/rɪˈdʌkʃənɪzəm/]

nounmasculine

reducionismo

1. The philosophical view that complex phenomena can be explained by reducing them to their simplest constituent parts or principles

Scientific reductionism attempts to understand biology by studying individual molecules.

O reducionismo científico tenta compreender a biologia estudando moléculas individuais.

2. The practice of oversimplifying complex issues or situations by breaking them down into overly basic components

Criticizing the reductionism of the argument, she pointed out important nuances that were ignored.

Criticando o reducionismo do argumento, ela apontou nuances importantes que foram ignoradas.

3. In logic and philosophy, the method of analyzing wholes by examining their constituent parts

The reductionism approach in psychology focuses on basic neural mechanisms rather than holistic behavior.

A abordagem reducionista na psicologia foca em mecanismos neurais básicos em vez de comportamento holístico.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

reducionismo

Standard usage in academic and philosophical contexts

São Paulo

reducionismo

Common in university and intellectual discussions

Portugal

reducionismo

Standard usage, same as Brazilian Portuguese

reduce to the lowest common denominator

break down into component parts

oversimplify matters

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