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From: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence
Summary: There is a place for Brahma (+), Shiva (-), and Vishnu (0).
Keywords: Reductionism and Holism, Analysis and Synthesis
Message-ID: <43520@linus.UUCP>
Date: 11 Jan 89 01:04:16 GMT
References: <558@soleil.UUCP> <6177@ecsvax.uncecs.edu>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort)
Organization: IdeaSync, Inc., Chronos, VT
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In article <6177@ecsvax.uncecs.edu> hes@ecsvax.uncecs.edu
(Henry Schaffer) worries about the overthrow of reductionism:

>  This whole controversy makes me think again about a question which
>has bothered me before.  If reductionism is not sufficient - how can
>one show/prove that it is not sufficient.  Clearly if a process is
>very complex, then much work must be done do reduce it sufficiently
>far to explain everything via a reductionist scenario.  
>
>... Clearly one can't give up on reductionism just yet.
>
>  Is that the answer?  One can't disprove reductionism as long as there
>is more work left to be done?  That would mean essentially never.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that reductionism (or analysis
of a complex system into its constituent elements) is a doomed
activity.  I think the argument is that additional insight is
gained through synthetic reasoning (constructing novel systems
from known pieceparts).  Nature does this all the time.  The
cerebral cortex of the species Homo sapiens sapiens is believed
to be one of the most complex systems found in nature.  We learn
by taking apart, and we learn by putting together.  There is room
(and need) for both activities.

Personally, I find that, as a species, we devote more time to
disassembly than to assembly, and I would like us to spend
more time developing our creative intelligence.  But I wouldn't
want a world in which we have to choose between holism and
reductionism.  Both are essential ingredients in cognitive growth.

Now and then, I even like to rest and simply enjoy what is.

--Barry Kort