Reduction and reductionism

Abstract

The paper proposes to distinguish ten different epistemic reduction modes: 1) From the diverse in common: the concept; 2) From data in patterns: the law; 3) From the explanandum in the explanans: the explanation; 4) From the legal in the phenomenon: phenomenalism; 5) From the effect in the cause: the identity; 6) From a state of the system in its previous state: determinism; 7) From a phenomenal level to another: emergency?; 8) From different possible lines of action in a pattern: the method; 9) From the properties of the parts in the properties of the whole: reductionism 1; 10) From the properties of the whole in the properties of the parts: reductionism 2.
The paper here presented covers the first seven forms of reduction. The remaining three, which form reductionism, will be delivered in a second part.