Perhaps of interest to some of the gang. http://myweb.fsu.edu/jastallins/courses/research/emergence.pdf
-tj Eliminating the mystery from the concept of emergence Brian R. Johnson Received: 30 August 2009 / Accepted: 9 August 2010 / Published online: 11 September 2010 Abstract While some branches of complexity theory are advancing rapidly, the same cannot be said for our understanding of emergence. Despite a complete knowledge of the rules underlying the interactions between the parts of many systems, we are often baffled by their sudden transitions from simple to complex. Here I propose a solution to this conceptual problem. Given that emergence is often the result of many interactions occurring simultaneously in time and space, an ability to intuitively grasp it would require the ability to consciously think in parallel. A simple exercise is used to demonstrate that we do not possess this ability. Our surprise at the behaviour of cellular automata models, and the natural cases of pattern formation they mimic, is then explained from this perspective. This work suggests that the cognitive limitations of the mind can be as significant a barrier to scientific progress as the limitations of our senses. Keywords Emergence Complexity theory Pattern formation Cellular automata Parallel processing -- ========================================== J. T. Johnson Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA www.analyticjournalism.com 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h) http://www.jtjohnson.com [email protected] ==========================================
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