ABSTRACT
Reductionism as a philosophical stance focuses on the extent to which levels of organization in one scientific domain can be deduced or explained by levels of organization in another scientific domain. Ontological reduction refers to a kind of reductionism such that objects of a given type in the set of a given scientific domain are equal to or the same as objects of a given type in the set of another scientific domain. Methodological reduction refers to a kind of reductionism such that for biological systems, the lowest possible level of explanation is fruitful. Epistemic reduction refers to a kind of reductionism such that the knowledge of a given scientific domain is reduced to knowledge of another scientific domain. Methodological reductionism suggests that empirical approaches to the qualia of pain may seek the lowest level of explanation. Empirical approaches from cultural neuroscience suggest that the qualia of pain may be explained through cultural and biological sciences.
