The Reductionism of Anti-Reductionism

Does McGilchrist Commit the Very Error He Criticizes?

Preface

In my previous essays, I argued that McGilchrist’s critique of science rests on a misunderstanding of reduction and on an outdated picture of modern science. Reduction is not the same as reductionism, and contemporary science has increasingly embraced complexity, emergence, and interconnectedness.

But there is another question that deserves attention.

If McGilchrist criticizes science for oversimplifying reality, should we not apply the same standard to his own theory?

I believe we should.

The issue is not whether McGilchrist’s model contains valuable insights. It certainly does. The question is whether his model places too much explanatory weight on a single idea.

Every Grand Theory Simplifies

Every explanation simplifies reality. There is no exception.

Economists simplify. Psychologists simplify. Historians simplify. Biologists simplify. Scientists simplify. Philosophers simplify.

Even this essay simplifies.

The purpose of a theory is not to reproduce reality in all its complexity. A theory is a selective…