The ontological autonomy of the chemical world: further arguments

MARTÍN LABARCA; OLIMPIA LOMBARDI

Nancy

Congreso; 14th Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science; 2011

Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science de la International Union of History and Philosophy of Science

According to a traditional reductionistic assumption, chemical entities, when properly analyzed, are nothing else than extremely complex physical entities. In this work we analyze three kinds of arguments used to support this thesis: formal, historical and pragmatic arguments. On this basis, we conclude that ontological reductionism is a metaphysical thesis in a Kantian sense: it is beyond any possible evidence. Furthermore, formal, historical and pragmatic evidence, far from supporting ontological reductionism, provides further arguments for ontological pluralism.