Re: Reducionism, Hollism and Complexity

Don Mikulecky (mikuleck@HSC.VCU.EDU)
Tue, 30 Jun 1998 10:26:06 -0400


Don Mikulecky replies:

Paulo Garrido wrote:

> Ricardo Ribeiro Gudwin wrote:
>
> > ... But I was trying to visualize what would be
> > those
> > hollistic complex systems, that can not be decomposable into
> > simpler
> > components,
> > and could not make a clear, sharp example of such systems. Maybe
> > someone
> > on the
> > list that is more used in dealing with such systems could
> > present some
> > illustrations, just
> > in order to clarify our thoughts.
>
> For the matter at stake, I suggest the reading of
>
> David Bohm. "Wholeness and the Implicate Order". Routledge.
>
> Best wishes
>
> PG

Yes Bohm understood the idea as Rosen does. If you ask certain
questions about a system you end up dealing with function. Function has
different causal roots than material things even though it arises out of
them. Function is lost by reduction, thus it is irreducable. This is
not so difficult once we allow function to be included among "objects"
of study.
respectfully,
Don