Reduction is the process of simplifying Terms by applying Functions to arguments.
When Application pairs a Function with an argument, Reduction is the process of carrying out the substitution and producing a simpler Term. Each step of Reduction replaces the bound Variable with the argument and evaluates what remains.
Reduction continues until it reaches a Value — a Term that cannot be reduced further. The algebra of Judgements constrains Reduction through three properties: Soundness (well-typed Terms don’t go wrong during Reduction), Confluence (different Reduction paths reach the same result), and Normalization (every Term reaches a Value).
Reduction is to syntax what Flow is to dynamics: directed forward movement through a sequence of steps. But where Flow operates on the entire relational field, Reduction operates within the syntactic layer — it is the local mechanism by which Terms compute.