Reductionism, laws of nature and complexity: different strategies of research and scientific explanation

Abstract

We discuss some criticisms of the reductionist approach and of the concept of “law of nature”, in order to defend that different notions and approaches to science, that are holistic in spirit, are needed to explain complexity. In the first part of the article, we show how reductionism and laws face problems that raise doubts about their epistemic usefulness. In the second part, we argue that an alternative approach, based on complexity, would overcome the limitations of reductionism and laws and open new directions and ways for scientific research, which are more in tune with contemporary science and our current knowledge of the world. Finally, we put forward some examples of research where holism and complexity are superior to approaches based on laws and reductionism.