The Routledge Handbook of Emergence

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Sophie Gibb, Robin Findlay Hendry, Tom Lancaster
Routledge, Mar 13, 2019 - Philosophy - 434 pages
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Emergence is often described as the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts: interactions among the components of a system lead to distinctive novel properties. It has been invoked to describe the flocking of birds, the phases of matter and human consciousness, along with many other phenomena. Since the nineteenth century, the notion of emergence has been widely applied in philosophy, particularly in contemporary philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and metaphysics. It has more recently become central to scientists’ understanding of phenomena across physics, chemistry, complexity and systems theory, biology and the social sciences.

The Routledge Handbook of Emergence is an outstanding reference source and exploration of the concept of emergence, and is the first collection of its kind. Thirty-two chapters by an international team of contributors are organised into four parts:

  • Foundations of emergence
  • Emergence and mind
  • Emergence and physics
  • Emergence and the special sciences

Within these sections important topics and problems in emergence are explained, including the British Emergentists; weak vs. strong emergence; emergence and downward causation; dependence, complexity and mechanisms; mental causation, consciousness and dualism; quantum mechanics, soft matter and chemistry; and evolution, cognitive science and social sciences.

Essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and metaphysics, The Routledge Handbook of Emergence will also be of interest to those studying foundational issues in biology, chemistry, physics and psychology.

 

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Contents

Notes on contributors
Acknowledgements
Emergence in the social sciences
British emergentism
Dependence
Fundamentality
Reduction
Emergence function and realization
Emergence and consciousness
Emergence and panpsychism
Phase transitions broken symmetry and the renormalization group
Soft matter an emergent interdisciplinary science of emergent entities
Emergence in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics
quasiparticles and topological
a personal perspective on a new paradigm for scientific research
an awkward Baconian alliance

Strong emergence and Alexanders dictum
critically surveying
weak and strong
complexity control and goaldirectedness
Complexity and feedback
Between scientism and abstractionism in the metaphysics of emergence
Emergent dualism in the philosophy of mind
Emergence and nonreductive physicalism
Intentionality and emergence
The emergence of space and time
Digital emergence
substance and structure
from organicism to systems biology
Emergence in the cell
Amergence of biological systems
Index
The causal closure principle
Copyright

Other editions - View all

The Routledge Handbook of Emergence
Sophie Gibb,Robin Findlay Hendry,Tom Lancaster
Limited preview - 2019
The Routledge Handbook of Emergence
Sophie Gibb,Robin Hendry,Tom Lancaster
No preview available - 2019

Common terms and phrases

algorithms argue argument atoms behavior biology causal closure causal powers causal set cell chemistry concepts condensed matter physics consciousness constitution constraints dependence determined discussion distinct downward causation dualism dynamical effects electrons emergent properties emergentism emergentist energy entities epistemic example existence explanation fluid parcels function fundamental goings-on grounding hierarchy higher-level properties identity instance instantiated interactions kind liquid logical lower-level mathematical mental causation mental properties metaphysical emergence mind modal molecular molecules multiple realizability nature non-reductive physicalism notion objects ontological ontological emergence organization Oxford University Press particles patterns phase transitions Philosophy of Science physical properties physicalist polymer predict problem processes quantum gravity quantum mechanics quasiparticles realized reduction reductionism reductionist relation relevant renormalization role scale Schrödinger equation scientific scientists sense soft matter spacetime spin strong emergence structure supervenience symmetry temperature theory topological trans-ordinal law tropes wavefunction weak emergence Wilson

About the author (2019)

Sophie Gibb is a Professor and Head of Department in the Department of Philosophy at Durham University, UK.

Robin Hendry is a Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Philosophy at Durham University, UK.

Tom Lancaster is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Durham University, UK.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Routledge Handbook of Emergence
TitleThe Routledge Handbook of Emergence
Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy
EditorsSophie Gibb, Robin Findlay Hendry, Tom Lancaster
PublisherRoutledge, 2019
ISBN1317381491, 9781317381495
Length434 pages
Subjects › 

Philosophy / General
  
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