On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 07:01:38PM -0600, Nicholas Thompson wrote: > Steve, > > My understanding of the meaning of "strong" emergence is "inexplicable > emergence". > > Is there another meaning? > > N
Bedau defines it as emergence with downward causation. For example, we would say that consciousness is strongly emergent if we felt that we could consciously influence the activities of our neurons, rather than simply our consciousness simply being the result of neuronal activity. I'm not sure this notion has any use in discussions other than consciousness, and even there the notion of epiphenomenalism would say that it is void concept. Cheers -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) Mathematics UNSW SYDNEY 2052 [email protected] Australia http://www.hpcoders.com.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
