Reduction: Subject definition List

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Reduction problems arise whenever in a science there is more then one theory about the same field of application. A fresh rival theory coming in could be a more general theory, explaining not only the field of application involved, but also other and new fields of application. It could be a more local theory in the sense of explaining a part of the original field of application. 

Usually, the rival theories use different concepts and require different observational skills and interpretations. Adherents of the theories involved usually start to compare there own favourite theory with the rival theory, and reach different conclusions as a result of circularity problems arising from using your own favourite theory as the standard for reduction. These are called attempts to reduce one theory to another.

In later stages, when one theory has won the battle, its reduction standard prevails and reduction becomes a technical problem.

The central questions here are:

• In the stage of rivalry, are there any rules to prevent all adherents of rival theories to be right according to their own standards of reduction?
• In the stage of consensus, are there any rules for proper reduction?