Definition
Abstractions are real when they are part of our best explanations. Deutsch rejects both reductionism and holism: explanations at many levels can be fundamental.
Why It Matters
If you think only “atoms” are real, you miss the patterns that actually drive the world. Abstractions like “laws,” “programs,” and “money” have physical consequences. The stake is your total explanatory power: if you ignore the reality of abstractions, you cannot understand why a software bug can crash a car or why an abstract idea can start a global war.
Core Concepts
- Levels of emergence are legitimate: Higher-level explanations can be indispensable.
- Reductionism is too narrow: Explaining by parts can erase the pattern that does the explaining.
- Holism is also too narrow: Wholes do not automatically explain their parts.
- Abstract entities can be real: Numbers, programs, and institutions can be causally relevant.