Reductionism is, in modern times, an unusual talent. Insights on the order of Pearl et. al.'s reduction of causality or Julian Barbour's reduction of time are rare.

Ye-e-e-s. But it is not at all clear whether Barbours reduction works. (See Fay Dowker;s criticisms in the appendices, for instance). It's not a reduction in the sense that "heat is molecular motion" is a universally accepted, succesful reduction.