logical construction

To show that As are logical constructions out of Bs is to show that facts about As reduce to facts about Bs, or that everything said using the A vocabulary may be said in a more basic or fundamental way referring only to Bs. Thus rights will be logical constructions out of duties if everything said about rights can be said more openly by referring only to duties. Behaviourism attempts to show that mind is a logical construction out of behaviour, phenomenalism that matter is a logical construction out of experience. The programmes of translation necessary to making good these claims have not, however, appeared to succeed, and other ways of relating the different vocabularies have gained more general assent: see holism, reductionism.