Main Entry: re·duc·tion·ism

Pronunciation: \ri-ˈdək-shə-ˌniz-əm\

Function: noun

1 : the attempt to explain all biological processes by the same explanations (as by physical laws) that chemists and physicists use to interpret inanimate matter ; also : the theory that complete reductionism is possible
2 : a procedure or theory that reduces complex data or phenomena to simple terms

—re·duc·tion·ist \-sh(ə-)nəst\ or re·duc·tion·is·tic \-ˌdək-shə-ˈnis-tik\ adjective