Emergence
Phenomenon where complex systems exhibit properties not present in components. Strong emergence: higher-level properties are irreducible and have causal power. Weak emergence: higher-level properties are explainable by lower-level dynamics but practically unpredictable. Examples include consciousness from neurons, life from chemistry, markets from individual actions. Emergence challenges reductionism and supports holism. Relevant to consciousness studies, systems theory, and philosophy of science. Debates concern whether emergence is metaphysical or epistemological. The concept bridges levels of explanation.
Your Reaction
Similar Philosophical Concept
Consciousness
The subjective quality of experience—what it's like to be something. Phenomenal consciousness is qualitative experience …
Object-Oriented Ontology
Speculative realist position that objects exist independently of human thought. Harman: objects withdraw from all …
Holism
View that systems should be understood as wholes, not merely as sum of parts. The …
Reductionism
View that complex phenomena can be explained by reducing to simpler components. Methodological reductionism: study …
Archetypes
Jungian concept of innate universal patterns in the collective unconscious. Archetypes are not specific images …
Dependent Origination
Buddhist teaching that all phenomena arise in dependence on conditions. Nothing exists independently; everything is …
Simulation Hypothesis
Modern philosophical hypothesis that reality might be a computer simulation. Nick Bostrom's argument: if civilizations …
Solipsism
Epistemological position that only one's own mind is certain to exist. Solipsism extends Cartesian doubt: …
Explore Related Domains
Discover connections across different types of entities
Consciousness Explained
Dennett's ambitious work offers a materialist theory of consciousness, rejecting the idea of an inner …
The Origin of Species
Darwin's revolutionary work establishes the theory of evolution through natural selection, fundamentally changing our understanding …
The Emperor's New Mind
Penrose's ambitious work argues against strong AI, proposing that consciousness involves quantum processes that cannot …
The Singularity Is Near
Kurzweil's futurist manifesto predicts that exponential technological growth will lead to the Singularity—a point where …
A Brief History of Time
Hawking's popular science masterpiece makes complex cosmological concepts accessible to general readers. Exploring black holes, …
Foundation
Asimov's science fiction masterpiece follows Hari Seldon's use of psychohistory to predict and shape the …
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Kuhn's revolutionary work in philosophy of science introduces the concept of paradigm shifts, arguing that …