Abstract
Where should we look for evidence of radical or, as it is also called, ontological emergence? It might be thought that classical physics is not a very promising starting point. Yet there is a natural link between emergence and complexity. There is no doubt whatsoever that complexity engenders conservative, or epistemological, emergence. There is also an argument that the classical but peculiar phenomenon of chaos in dynamical systems implies that radical or ontological emergence may be a genuine feature of our world. I have my doubts, but the subject is intrinsically interesting and cannot fail to shed light on the general topic of emergence.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Seager, W. (2012). Against Radical Emergence. In: Natural Fabrications. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29599-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29599-7_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29598-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29599-7
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)