scholarly journals Flat mechanisms: a reductionist approach to levels in mechanistic explanations

Author(s):  
Peter Fazekas
Author(s):  
А.Б. Салтыков ◽  
С.В. Грачев

Редукционистский подход в медицине рассматривает живые системы в качестве закрытых (замкнутых) образований, функции которых полностью детерминированы свойствами соответствующих материальных компонентов. Каждое нарушение функции объясняется предшествующими изменениями структур, реализующих эту функцию. Из этого следует, что любая патология структурно-функциональна по своей сути, а понятие «функциональные заболевания» - принципиально ошибочно из-за искажения причинно-следственных отношений. По мере прогресса медицины ожидается открытие собственно первичных структурных маркеров «функциональных» заболеваний, что будет иметь решающее значение для их ранней диагностики и патогенетического лечения (ориентированного прежде всего, на устранение первичного звена расстройств). Вместе с тем, в медицине существует более общий холистический (функционально ориентированный) подход, формирующий иной стереотип клинического мышления. В этих рамках любая патология объясняется недостаточностью адаптивных функций организма в изменившихся условиях существования. Обычно сложный характер функциональных взаимодействий делает невозможным их описание на основе текущих характеристик материальных компонентов системы, особенно при воздействии на организм внешних патогенных факторов. Именно внешние воздействия способны инициировать первичный дефицит адаптивных механизмов с заведомо вторичными структурными изменениями, что позволяет перестать рассматривать «функциональные болезни» как принципиально ошибочное понятие. Первичный дефицит функций наиболее нагляден при информационной патологии, идеальная природа которой не сводится к соответствующим материальным носителям. Все это ставит под сомнение возможность обнаружения собственно первичных структурных маркеров некоторых заболеваний, особенно если в их основе лежит информационная патология (невроз, нервная анорексия, психическая аменорея, морская болезнь, некоторые формы фантомных болей и др.). Reductionist approach in medicine considers living systems as closed (closed) formations whose functions are completely determined by the properties of the corresponding material components. Each disturbance of the function is explained by previous changes in the structures that realize this function. From this it follows that any pathology is structurally functional in its essence, and the concept of «functional diseases» is fundamentally erroneous because of the distortion of cause-effect relationships. As medicine progresses, the actual primary structural markers of «functional» diseases are expected to be discovered, which will be crucial for their early diagnosis and pathogenetic treatment (primarily aimed at eliminating the primary link of disorders). At the same time, in medicine there is a more general holistic (functionally oriented) approach, forming a different stereotype of clinical thinking. Within this framework, any pathology is due to the lack of adaptive functions of the organism in the changed conditions of existence. Usually the complex nature of functional interactions makes it impossible to describe them on the basis of the current characteristics of the material components of the system, especially when external pathogenic factors influence the organism. It is external actions that can initiate a primary deficit of adaptive mechanisms with known secondary structural changes, which allows us to stop treating «functional diseases» as a fundamentally wrong concept. The primary deficit of functions is most evident in information pathology, the ideal nature of which is not reduced to the corresponding material carriers. All this calls into question the possibility of detecting the primary structural markers of certain diseases, especially if they are based on information pathology (neurosis, anorexia nervosa, mental amenorrhea, seasickness, some forms of phantom pains, etc.).


Author(s):  
Jennifer McKitrick

Some dispositions have causal bases or grounding properties. However, ungrounded dispositions do not have causal bases. Ungrounded dispositions are also known as powers, baseless dispositions, and bare dispositions. Ungrounded dispositions are not supplanted by mechanistic explanations, for even mechanistic explanations ultimately reference dispositions. While some argue that citing dispositions does not really explain anything, dispositions can in fact figure in adequate explanations. Furthermore, scientific explanations reference dispositions with no known grounds. This lends some support for the view that ungrounded dispositions are metaphysically possible. Philosophical arguments based on multiple realizability or the demand for truth-makers fail to show that ungrounded dispositions are impossible.


2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762097236
Author(s):  
Jarret T. Crawford ◽  
John Ruscio

Fernbach et al. (2013) found that political extremism and partisan in-group favoritism can be reduced by asking people to provide mechanistic explanations for complex policies, thus making their lack of procedural-policy knowledge salient. Given the practical importance of these findings, we conducted two preregistered close replications of Fernbach et al.’s Experiment 2 (Replication 1a: N = 306; Replication 1b: N = 405) and preregistered close and conceptual replications of Fernbach et al.’s Experiment 3 (Replication 2: N = 343). None of the key effects were statistically significant, and only one survived a small-telescopes analysis. Although participants reported less policy understanding after providing mechanistic policy explanations, policy-position extremity and in-group favoritism were unaffected. That said, well-established findings that providing justifications for prior beliefs strengthens those beliefs, and well-established findings of in-group favoritism, were replicated. These findings suggest that providing mechanistic explanations increases people’s recognition of their ignorance but is unlikely to increase their political moderation, at least under these conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 8919
Author(s):  
Emma Layton ◽  
Anna-Marie Fairhurst ◽  
Sam Griffiths-Jones ◽  
Richard K. Grencis ◽  
Ian S. Roberts

In eukaryotes, microRNAs (miRNAs) have roles in development, homeostasis, disease and the immune response. Recent work has shown that plant and mammalian miRNAs also mediate cross-kingdom and cross-domain communications. However, these studies remain controversial and are lacking critical mechanistic explanations. Bacteria do not produce miRNAs themselves, and therefore it is unclear how these eukaryotic RNA molecules could function in the bacterial recipient. In this review, we compare and contrast the biogenesis and functions of regulatory RNAs in eukaryotes and bacteria. As a result, we discovered several conserved features and homologous components in these distinct pathways. These findings enabled us to propose novel mechanisms to explain how eukaryotic miRNAs could function in bacteria. Further understanding in this area is necessary to validate the findings of existing studies and could facilitate the use of miRNAs as novel tools for the directed remodelling of the human microbiota.


Systems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Raquel Balanay ◽  
Anthony Halog

This systematic review examines the importance of a systems/holistic approach in analyzing and addressing the footprints/impacts of business-as-usual activities regarding the development of a circular economy (CE). Recent works on why current CE approaches have to be examined in terms of reductionist vs. systems perspectives are reviewed to tackle questions pertaining to the right or the wrong way of CE implementation. ‘Doing the right thing right’ is essential for sustainability—the ultimate goal of a CE, which must be viewed as a system to begin with. The limited reductionist approach overlooks and thus cannot prognosticate on the formidable unintended consequences that emerge from ‘doing the right things wrong’, consequences that become too costly to undo. The systems approach, being holistic, is complicated and difficult to pursue but open to exciting opportunities to integrate innovations in CE analysis and implementation. Complexity is an inherent downside of the systems approach. However, both approaches are complementary, as reductionist models can be combined to create a system of comprehensive analysis to correct the approach towards implementation of current CE initiatives. This review reports that advancements in systems analytical frameworks and tools are highly important for creating general guidelines on CE analysis and implementation.


1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phyllis C. Lee

Of the diverse approaches to understanding patterns and processes in human evolution, a focus on the biology of behaviour using principles derived from the non-human primates may have some utility for archaeologists. This article seeks to outline some biologically-based areas that could prove fruitful in exploring the origins of human behaviour within the archaeological record. It attempts to initiate a dialogue between biologists, even with their limited understanding of the problems facing those working with human origins, and archaeologists, in the hope that this dialogue will move beyond a simple reductionist approach towards the goal of integrating behaviour into a more sophisticated biological perspective.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbo Ming ◽  
Harjeet S. Soor ◽  
Xiaocui Liu ◽  
Alina Trofimova ◽  
Andrei K. Yudin ◽  
...  

This review summarizes new methodology for the synthesis of α-aminoboronates, including asymmetric synthetic methods and mechanistic explanations of reactivity. Applications of α-aminoboronates as versatile synthetic building blocks are also discussed.


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