?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Against+Scientific+Imperialism&rft.creator=Dupre%2C+J.&rft.subject=Philosophy+of+Science&rft.description=Most+discussion+of+the+unity+of+science+has+concerned+what+might+be+called+vertical+relations+between+theories%3A+the+reducibility+of+biology+to+chemistry%2C+or+chemistry+to+physics%2C+and+so+on.+In+this+paper+I+shall+be+concerned+rather+with+horizontal+relations%2C+that+is+to+say%2C+with+theories+of+different+kinds+that+deal+with+objects+at+the+same+structural+level.+Whereas+the+former%2C+vertical%2C+conception+of+unity+through+reduction+has+come+under+a+good+deal+of+criticism+recently+(see%2C+e.g.%2C+Dupr%C3%A9+1993)%2C+horizontal+unity+has+generally+been+conceded+to+be+an+important+goal.+The+most+pressing+questions+about+horizontal+unification+arise+in+the+study+of+human+behavior.+Numerous+sciences+including+psychology%2C+economics%2C+anthropology%2C+sociology%2C+and+parts+of+biology%2C+attempt+to+provide+explanations+of+human+behavior.+It+is+possible+that+some+of+these+sciences+may+be+able+to+coexist+peacefully+or+even+cooperatively.+However+things+do+not+always+go+so+smoothly%2C+and+at+least+two+approaches+to+human+behavior%2C+those+deriving+from+economics+and+evolutionary+biology%2C+often+involve+clearly+imperialist+tendencies.+Devotees+of+these+approaches+are+inclined+to+claim+that+they+are+in+possession+not+just+of+one+useful+perspective+on+human+behavior%2C+but+of+the+key+that+will+open+doors+to+the+understanding+of+ever+wider+areas+of+human+behavior.+In+this+paper+I+shall+consider+some+areas+in+which+economic+and+evolutionary+imperialists+are+currently+staking+claims.+It+is+of+particular+interest+to+look+at+situations+where+two+the+two+imperialist+programs+are+staking+the+same+claim%2C+but+limitations+of+space+force+me+to+focus+here+mainly+on+economics%2C+and+my+remarks+on+evolutionary+imperialism+will+be+cursory.+As+well+as+some+specific+insights+into+the+particular+strategies+of+these+scientific+programs%2C+I+hope+that+my+discussion+will+throw+some+more+general+light+on+the+limits+of+such+general+theoretical+strategies+and%2C+thereby%2C+I+shall+suggest+some+motivations+for+adhering+to+a+horizontal+pluralism+of+science+that+matches+the+vertical+pluralism+advocated+by+anti-reductionists.&rft.date=1994&rft.type=Journal+(Paginated)&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=text%2Fhtml&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F342%2F1%2FIMPERIA.htm&rft.identifier=++Dupre%2C+J.++(1994)+Against+Scientific+Imperialism.++%5BJournal+(Paginated)%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F342%2F