Two Approaches to Reduction: A Case Study from Statistical Mechanics.

I argue that there are two distinct approaches to understanding reduction: the ontology-first approach and the theory-first approach. They concern the relation between ontological reduction and inter-theoretic reduction. Further, I argue for the significance of this distinction by demonstrating that...

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Publicado en:Philosophy of Science Vol. 91; no. 4; pp. 969 - 990
Autor principal: Guo, Bixin
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Cambridge University Press Oct2024
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        au: Guo, Bixin
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      ab: I argue that there are two distinct approaches to understanding reduction: the ontology-first approach and the theory-first approach. They concern the relation between ontological reduction and inter-theoretic reduction. Further, I argue for the significance of this distinction by demonstrating that either one or the other approach has been taken as an implicit assumption in, and has in fact shaped, our understanding of what statistical mechanics is. More specifically, I argue that Boltzmannian statistical mechanics assumes and relies on the ontology-first approach, whereas Gibbsian statistical mechanics should assume the theory-first approach.
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