What is reduction?
Within the framework of the “Deconstruction of Reality” project, the definition of reduction is formulated based on historical and philosophical analysis of the concept:
Reduction (from Latin reductio β bringing back, diminishing) is the process of reducing complex systems, ideas, or phenomena to those foundations or components that, within a particular methodology or worldview, are considered the only permissible basis for explanation.
Commentary
The foundations to which a phenomenon is reduced in the process of reduction are seen as the only acceptable ones not by the phenomenon itself, but by the framework within which the researcher operates (worldview, methodology). This very framework, from the outside, may appear as just one particular case, but from the inside, it is perceived as βthe norm.β
Reduction is a method that aims to simplify by highlighting what is essential, but often at the expense of excluding details or context. The results of reduction can be either useful or problematicβthis depends on the depth of insight and the original perspective.
Reduction can serve to clarify the essence, but can also distort reality if the simplification is excessive.