The emergence indicates the appearance of new characteristics to a certain degree of complexity.

It is a phenomenon which one finds in the physical fields, biological, ecological, socio-economic and other dynamic systems comprising Rétroaction S.

One can define emergence by two characteristics:

  • the unit makes more than the sum of its parts. This means that one cannot inevitably predict the behavior of the whole by the only analysis of his parts.

  • the unit adopts a behavior caractérisable about which the detailed knowledge of its parts does not inform completely.

From some Seuil criticizes complexity, these systems see appearing new properties, known as emergent properties . Those become observable when they go in the direction of a new organization (see also Car-organization).

Origin and orientation

The concept of emergence historically appeared towards 1920 of a group of philosopher and British biologists not being satisfied nor by the Réductionnisme (where to include/understand the elementary one is supposed to explain the complex) and the Vitalisme (disappeared movement since which opposed to the reductionnism the idea vital energy).

In its test the Man and the shell (Variety V, page 557 in the edition Folio), Paul Valéry uses to indicate it the word emanation :

“ Émaner seems enough to me the only term close to truth, since it means to let ooze . A cave emanates its stalactites; a mollusc emanates its shell. On the process of this emanation, the scientists repeat us quantity of things that they saw in the microscope; they add of them others which I do not believe that they saw: the ones are inconceivable, no matter what one can about it discourse very well; the others would require an observation of a few hundreds of million years (...); others require that and there some very favorable accident”

The term of emergence indicates in Theoretical physics an external movement of thought to the Théorie of the whole (theory with the research of the ultimate equation applying to all the physical phenomena), which regards the great physical laws as emergent, i.e. “which cannot be deduced from more fundamental principles” as Robert Laughlin defines it what would thus make them relating to the scales observation. To take the example more striking, the Temps such as we know it belongs to the emergent concepts starting from the macroscopic scale; on a quantum scale, it cannot be defined very rigorously.

An image of Stewart and Cohen

Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen shows that the concept of emergence is a not required passage to explain macroscopic properties which one cannot defer on properties of the only components, and so on AD infinitum : Indeed, if it is noted that the cats are highly attracted by the mice, it seems absurd of in inférer that they are the Molécule S of the cats which are directly attracted by the molecules of the mice. The cause of this attraction must thus be sought in the internal organization of those, or more complex structures still like, here, those of the hormonal Nervous system and .

  • The Collapse off Chaos, 1994

Emergence and causality

When it is known that certain characteristics lead to the appearance of emergent properties, sometimes this consideration makes it possible not to have to be concerned with subjacent details of causality and, in fact, quotas.

It is considered for example that the cooling of water will lead to its organization in ice without having to go down on the level from the behavior from each molecule. See System theory.

Emergences “weak” and “strong”

The concept of emergence is still with the state of discussion, and a subject of controversies. Thus, various competitor points of view appear, and thus various types of emergences.

  • One speaks about “weak” emergence when the causal dynamics of the whole is entirely determined by the causal dynamics of the parts, and is subjectively interpreted like emergent by an external observer. In the case of the water molecules, their crystallization in ice is a phenomenon which belongs neither to hydrogen, nor with oxygen, its components. It is however about a phenomenon which can be explained starting from the properties of hydrogen and oxygen. There is thus no really new property, if it is not that which human can observe, and who can surprise the latter of first access.

  • “strong” emergence relates to properties independent of any observation, intrinsic with the system, so that they will interact with the other components of the system in an original way. There then does not exist any more causal bond between the components of the emergent structure and its own properties. It is the existence of such strong emergent properties which is discussed: impossibility of seeing the bond between the micro level and the macro level could result from the limits of the human being, as for all Système complexes. One can however quote two examples of emergence which seem strong: appearance of the life from the inanimate one, and the emergence of the conscience.

Examples

  • Anatomy : considerations on the appearance of alternatives of the eye in several branches very different from classification of alive encourage to think that the appearance of the eye belongs to the foreseeable emergent properties where exists a source of light. In his book the clock and watch maker plugs , the biologist Richard Dawkins studies more in detail the mechanism of this emergence starting from a simple cell being gifted at the beginning of photosensitivity, by the means of successive natural selections. He uses for that of the computer simulations.

  • Zoology : at the social insects like the ants or the termites, one speaks about emergence of collective behavior. By the fact that a termite is likely more to deposit a lump of earth in a place where there is already, one will see emerging the construction of a termitière within a group of termites.

  • Botanical : the striped bush are vegetable communities characterized by periodic space a structure known as emergent . Indeed, this structure a wavelength largely higher than the vegetable individuals who compose it is the result of local interactions (positive and negative) between these individuals and their closer neighbors.

  • Economy : in economy, one speaks about emergent Pays (or emerging country) when a country, up to that point underdeveloped, gave itself the means (in particular legal and cultural) which bring it in launching and economic rapid growth phase of the production and the standard of living. There is then appearance of new economic and social characteristics, in other words emergent properties suitable for the evolution of the dynamic systems. Many a Country in the process of development of Asia, whose China and India, are generally classified like such.

  • Media : technologies Internet change nature even media into reversing gradually their model of operation . The audience of the traditional mediums moves back in front of million individual mini-channels (blogs, forums, podcasts, wikis, personal sites…), where information is not any more parachuted and is controlled of in top by professionals with respect to passive receivers, but comes in a not-hierarchical and more participative way of the public itself.

  • Ethology and Entomology : a emergent behavior is generally a total effect which results from the application of local rules, very simple. For example, it is possible to simulate the very complex activity of one anthill using very simple rules concerning each ant.

  • Systemic : the stress is laid on the phenomenon of emergence. It is not any more one sum of simple behaviors, but the result of an interaction between these behaviors and the complexity of the system.

  • Artificial intelligence : One can make “arrange” a space with robots with a random walk and two rules of the type:

    • “If you are with vacuum, collects something”.
    • “If you carry something and that you find another thing, poses what you carry to side”.
the emergent behavior is that, gradually, the objects which encumber space end up being arranged in some heaps. These heaps are due for a cumulative purpose of the individual behaviors at the same place of the environment, therefore with indirect Interactions. The “complex” concept of heap, as for it, is not present at the individual level and yet it appears on the level of the population of the system.

These effects in particular make it possible to plan to send on the Planets Solar system either a large Robot (probe), but several small, simple, but whose combined action makes it possible for example to build factories which multiply the number of robots, and which make it possible to build new models and to repair the old ones.

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