?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Pragmatic+Holism&rft.creator=Edmonds%2C+Bruce&rft.subject=Philosophy+of+Science&rft.description=The+reductionist%2Fholist+debate+seems+an+impoverished+one%2C+with+many+participants+appearing+to+adopt+a+position+first+and+constructing+rationalisations+second.+Here+I+propose+an+intermediate+position+of+pragmatic+holism%2C+that+irrespective+of+whether+all+natural+systems+are+theoretically+reducible%2C+for+many+systems+it+is+completely+impractical+to+attempt+such+a+reduction%2C+also+that+regardless+if+whether+irreducible+%60wholes'+exist%2C+it+is+vain+to+try+and+prove+this+in+absolute+terms.+This+position+thus+illuminates+the+debate+along+new+pragmatic+lines%2C+and+refocusses+attention+on+the+underlying+heuristics+of+learning+about+the+natural+world.&rft.contributor=Aerts%2C+Diederik&rft.date=1996-02&rft.type=Journal+(Paginated)&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpostscript&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F1774%2F1%2FpragholA4.ps&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F1774%2F5%2Fpraghol.pdf&rft.identifier=++Edmonds%2C+Bruce++(1996)+Pragmatic+Holism.++%5BJournal+(Paginated)%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F1774%2F