Is the concept of emergence religion or science?

Question

Emergence advocates such as Sunny Auyang and Robert Laughlin maintain that emergent properties generate basic laws but provide no proof. Is there any math proof that there is a barrier between basic laws and higher emergent laws?

Answer 1

There is a such thing as "emergent behavior", which is science. It's the phenomenon wherein simple individual parts work together to create a single functioning whole.

Ant colonies are an example of emergent behavior.

Answer 2

Not that I'm aware of. But it really all gets down to the level of complexity that you're willing (or able) to deal with. Trying to explain the operation of a digital computer by looking at the quantum effects happening in the transistors is, in theory, possible. But it would chew up one helluva lot of paper.
The question of 'emergence' as religion or science is probably best answered by Arthur C. Clarke's famous line about how, "One mans magic is another mans technology." As little as 200 years ago flipping a switch and illuminating a room or pulling something out of your pocket and conversing with anyone, anywhere, on the planet would have been *serious* magic indeed. ☺


Doug

Answer 3

I read a very stupid book on this subject (which I threw away) and I believe it is religious claptrap masquerading as science.