On the Reality of Emergents

• Published in: Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology
• Main Author: Charbel Niño El-Hani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina 2002-06-01
• Subjects: Emergence; downward causation; realism
• Online Access: http://www.periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/17031/15594

The controversy over the notion of emergence has recently re-emerged But a rigorous debate concerning how it might be explained or defined often lacking Emergence is discussed heir under two strict conditions (I) emergents can be predictable from the knowledge about a system's parts, (11) emergents can be regarded as dependent on, and determined by, the system's micro-structure O’Connor’s definition of an emergent property is taken as a starting-point for a new definition, incorporating Emmeche and colleagues’ analysis of downward causation and Baas' treatment of emergence It is not necessary to assume that das definition might provide die solution to the problem of emergence Rather, theoretical pluralism regarding different pragmatically-workable notions of emergence is welcome The reality of emergents is discussed here from the standpoint of Dennet’s mild realism.