[MD] subject/object: pragmatism

[Krimel]

> [Krimel]
I have attempted several times to suggest that reduction is emergence in
> reverse and visa versa.
>

DM: Come on, reductionism suggests that a description of higher levels
in terms of lower ones is complete, emergence says they are not. Emergence
suggests that when we speak about human behaviour the language for
describing the behaviour of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, etc would not
give us the full story. Same for sociobiological explanations. Let's face
it all this MOQing can'e be explained in terms of my reproductive ends
I'd suggest. Unless you fancy a quick one?

[Krimel]
Reductionism is nothing more that taking big problems and breaking them into
smaller ones. No one suggests that the battle of Waterloo can be completely
understood in terms of the interactions of chemistry and physics. That would
be an extraordinarily naïve view of reduction.  On the other hand biology
only emerges from chemistry when there is sufficient stability at the level
of chemical compounds for more complex or dynamic interactions to occur
among them. A complete understanding of the Battle of Waterloo would require
explanations at all levels. An adequate explanation would depend on ones
particular focus of interest and level of detail.