Mechanism, reductionism, and the artificial in the light of the classical tradition

This thesis is a systematic work which seeks to gain perspective on the deeper logic of mechanistic and reductionistic aspects in Western science by examining the theoretical transition from (what we term) the classical tradition to the mechanical tradition. The thesis presents each tradition as an idealized natural philosophy that is coordinated with the other for purposes of comparison. The classical tradition relies principally on Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas for inspiration; the mechanical relies on such figures as Descartes, Hobbes, and Francis Bacon. Duns Scotus and William of Ockham are used to explicate the theoretical transition. The presentation of the mechanical tradition includes a section on theory of computation (Turing, Church, etc.) to explicate its deeper structure.;Each tradition is presented as a whole divided into an 'objective' metaphysical section interdependent with a 'subjective' methodological section. The metaphysical sections represent the theoretical presuppositions about the causal and substantial structure of the natural world; the methodological sections represents presuppositions underlying the scientific intentional orientation towards nature. This correlative approach gives a phenomenological description of each tradition as an 'epoch of Being' in the Heideggarian sense.;The fundamental difference between the two traditions is presented as a distinction between the two regarding the metaphysics of causality within natural substances, and the correlative distinction between the goals of scientific investigation. The thesis finds that the mechanical tradition is a kind of reductionistic mirror-image of the classical, an image that is theoretically derivative upon the classical. At the same time, it is discovered that the deeper meaning of the classical can be understood best through a comparison with the mechanical. The thesis concludes with an investigation into the idea and significance of the artificial based on the distinctions made between the classical and mechanical. It is found that the artificial, which is conceptually grounded on the mechanical tradition, represents a kind a nihilistic reversal of natural reality as it is understood by the classical tradition.