Evolution and Emergence Systems, Organisms, Persons

About this book

A collection of essays by experts in the field, exploring how nature works at every level to produce more complex and highly organized objects, systems, and organisms from much simpler components, and how our increasing understanding of this universal phenomenon of emergence can lead us to a deeper and richer appreciation of who we are as human beings and of our relationship to God. Several chapters introduce the key philosophical ideas about reductionism and emergence, while others explore the fascinating world of emergent phenomena in physics, biology, and the neurosciences. Finally there are contributions probing the meaning and significance of these findings for our general description of the world and ourselves in relation to God, from philosophy and theology. The collection as a whole will extend the mutual creative interaction among the sciences, philosophy, and theology.

Contents

Introduction; I. PHILOSOPHY; 1. Reduction - how did we fall into it and can we emerge from it?; 2. Reduction, emergence, and the mind/body problem; 3. Who's in charge here? And who's doing all the work?; 4. Three levels of emergent phenomena; II. SCIENCE; 5. Science, complexity, and the nature of existence; 6. Emergence in the physical sciences: lessons from the particle physics and condensed matter debate; 7. True to life? Biological models of origin and evolution; 8. Nonlinear science and the cognitive hierarchy; 9. The emergence of causally efficacious mental function; III. THEOLOGY; 10. Reductionism and emergence: implications for the theology and science dialogue; 11. Emergence, scientific naturalism, and theology; 12. Emergent realities with causal efficacy - philosophical and theological applications; 13. Reduction and emergence in artificial life: a theological appropriation; 14. Toward a constructive Christian theology of emergence; Postscript

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