in philosophy, reductionism is a way of comprehension
The Oxford Companion to Philosophy suggests that reductionism is “one of the most used and abused terms in the philosophical lexicon” and suggests a three-part division
ontological reductionism - a belief that the whole of reality consists of a minimal number of parts.
methodological reductionism - the scientific attempt to provide an explanation in terms of ever-smaller entities.
theory reductionism - the suggestion that a newer theory does not replace or absorb an older one, but reduces it to more basic terms. theory reduction itself is divisible into three parts: translation, derivation, and explanation.