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Emergence, Probability, and Reductionism
Author(s) -
Budenholzer Frank E.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
zygon®
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-9744
pISSN - 0591-2385
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2004.00577.x
Subject(s) - reductionism , epistemology , context (archaeology) , meaning (existential) , conjugate , philosophy , mathematics , geography , archaeology , mathematical analysis
. Philosopher‐theologian Bernard J. F. Lonergan defines emergence as the process in which “otherwise coincidental manifolds of lower conjugate acts invite the higher integration effected by higher conjugate forms” ( Insight , [1957] 1992, 477). The meaning and implications of Lonergan's concept of emergence are considered in the context of the problem of reductionism in the natural sciences. Examples are taken primarily from physics, chemistry, and biology.