Complications and Obstacles

Abstract

This chapter examines various important kinds of complications and obstacles involved in a program for the unification of science by means of successive microreductions. The first section is concerned with complications resulting from the enormous variety of types of structures found in the world. Section B is concerned with special types of complications found in hierarchical structures. In the third section I critically examine some recent, subtle arguments of J. A. Fodor. Fodor’s arguments are intended to undermine the kind of reductionistic unification program defended in this book. Although Fodor’s arguments have some force, it is shown that they do not establish an insuperable obstacle for the unification program. Finally, in the last section I consider some special difficulties arising in the social sciences.