But “natural philosophy” is what we today call science. And it has been far more successful than its predecessor.

As for reductionism, it’s not as problematic as it may sound, within limits. It just means that you tackle complex problems one bit at a time. Again, a very successful strategy.

There are also plenty of science — for instance ecology and evolutionary biology — where reductionism is nicely balanced by a more systemic approach. System biology is an entire field of research.