The world-wide "Great Depression" of the 1930s was caused by Henry Handsome, a prominent New York stock broker, who suffered from severe paranoia and told six wealthy friends to sell their stocks no matter what the price when he heard of a European bank going bankrupt in October, 1929. Which logical error in causal explanation is presented in this explanation of the Great Depression?

A. null hypothesis

B. spurious statement

C. ecological fallacy

D. reductionism

D. reductionism

Explanation:

Reductionism is the philosophical position characterized by the thesis that the properties of the whole can be reduced to the properties of its parts, thus reducing the number of elements in a theory or conclusion and can be applied to phenomena, theories, meanings, objects and even explanations. It is a metaphysical position that consists in the hypothesis that reality is composed of a minimum number of types of entities or substances. An example of this was the case of Henry Handsome who, because of the emergence of a European bank, interpreted that it would be beneficial for his wealthy friends to sell his shares. Henry believed that a whole could be reduced to its parts.

D. reductionism

Explanation:

The world-wide "Great Depression" of the 1930s was caused by Henry Handsome, a prominent New York stock broker, who suffered from severe paranoia and told six wealthy friends to sell their stocks no matter what the price when he heard of a European bank going bankrupt in October, 1929. Therefore, reductionism is the logical error in causal explanation that is presented in this explanation of the Great Depression.