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Metaphysical Emergence
Both the special sciences and ordinary experience suggest that there are metaphysically emergent entities and macroscopic goings-on (including mountains, trees, humans, and sculptures, and their characteristic features) which depend on, yet are distinct from and distinctively efficacious with respect to, lower-level physical configurations and features. These appearances give rise to two key questions. First, what is metaphysical emergence, more precisely? Second, is there any metaphysical emergence, in principle and moreover in fact? Metaphysical Emergence provides clear and systematic answers to these questions. Wilson argues that there are two, and only two, forms of metaphysical emergence of the sort seemingly at issue in the target 'Weak' emergence, whereby a dependent feature has a proper subset of the powers of the feature upon it depends, and 'Strong' emergence, whereby a dependent feature has a power not had by the feature upon which it depends. Weak
emergence unifies and illuminates seemingly diverse accounts of non-reductive physicalism; Strong emergence does the same as regards seemingly diverse anti-physicalist views positing fundamental novelty at higher levels of compositional complexity. After defending the in-principle viability of each form of emergence, Wilson considers whether complex systems, ordinary objects, consciousness, and free will are actually metaphysically emergent. She argues that Weak emergence is quite common, and that there is Strong emergence in the important case of free will.
emergence unifies and illuminates seemingly diverse accounts of non-reductive physicalism; Strong emergence does the same as regards seemingly diverse anti-physicalist views positing fundamental novelty at higher levels of compositional complexity. After defending the in-principle viability of each form of emergence, Wilson considers whether complex systems, ordinary objects, consciousness, and free will are actually metaphysically emergent. She argues that Weak emergence is quite common, and that there is Strong emergence in the important case of free will.
- GenresPhilosophyMetaphysics
338 pages, Hardcover
Published May 4, 2021
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 31, 2026
I made a philosophy thesis about this
Foreword Metaphysical Emergence by Zulima Martí Cuñat
This is an exclusive foreword as I absolutely have no single word to spare in this thesis. This thesis has been a real challenge for me. My first thorough philosophical work…
I want to start this foreword by thanking Dr. Menno Rol for introducing me to the very wide world of emergence, in which I have been able to engage in these contemporary debates. Since he asked me to teach for him the secondary readings of his Complexity theory course I have drowned myself in the depths of metaphysics, first as a side quest and finally as very much a main purpose when Dr. Laura Georgescu stepped in as my supervisor. Laura has not only taught me plenty about the metaphysics of causation but she also has carefully empowered me in my writing and understanding of (very difficult) philosophical texts. She is dedicated to her students and for that I have been very lucky to have her supervise me.
Next (as also said in my last thesis) this would have never been possible without my peer reviewers. Even in exam times they have been dedicated to signaling when I was coherent, incoherent or even totally off. Academic work is not an individual pursuit and I am grateful to have a community that supports me. Kristof you always are my first, and in this thesis you have been the perfect reader as you were asking the relevant questions in section 3 that are answered in section 5. I am looking forward to discussing powers with you. Sam you are a philosophical machine, your comments are sharp and precise and I would be very glad to have a talk in Groningen about the conceptual questions that you left out. Adri I think you have been my official grammarly and therapist altogether. Thank you for asking and yes I will beware of rhetorical questions in the future. Isabel, your compliment has made my last 3 days. A peer review should be something like what you provided: “I have no clue about this”. Òscar I will start feeling bad if I use you to correct every single one of my works but you made Laura speak catalan in this one. I pretty much needed your physics reductionistic tendencies and the long talks in my kitchen about the novelty of novel powers. For that I thank you. Jorge, thank you for being there with me last minute, pointing out punctilious details and telling me to rest and not overdue. Way over that point. I appreciate every little single one of your comments even though I inherited a tendency to respond “no” quite harshly. I hope you want to also read my texts in the future.
To my grandpa that even though he understands this thesis less than the previous one he tries. And to my brother, who is currently reading this text out loud to my mum.
Last but not least I have to thank Jessica Wilson for providing me with 300 pages of material + a 120 page symposium and to Jaegwon Kim for providing me with just 15 pages of material. I think I am not done with metaphysical emergence, now I understand just the very basics to immerse myself in the world of causation in the future. I am eager to learn more about contemporary metaphysics.
Thank you again!
Zulima
Foreword Metaphysical Emergence by Zulima Martí Cuñat
This is an exclusive foreword as I absolutely have no single word to spare in this thesis. This thesis has been a real challenge for me. My first thorough philosophical work…
I want to start this foreword by thanking Dr. Menno Rol for introducing me to the very wide world of emergence, in which I have been able to engage in these contemporary debates. Since he asked me to teach for him the secondary readings of his Complexity theory course I have drowned myself in the depths of metaphysics, first as a side quest and finally as very much a main purpose when Dr. Laura Georgescu stepped in as my supervisor. Laura has not only taught me plenty about the metaphysics of causation but she also has carefully empowered me in my writing and understanding of (very difficult) philosophical texts. She is dedicated to her students and for that I have been very lucky to have her supervise me.
Next (as also said in my last thesis) this would have never been possible without my peer reviewers. Even in exam times they have been dedicated to signaling when I was coherent, incoherent or even totally off. Academic work is not an individual pursuit and I am grateful to have a community that supports me. Kristof you always are my first, and in this thesis you have been the perfect reader as you were asking the relevant questions in section 3 that are answered in section 5. I am looking forward to discussing powers with you. Sam you are a philosophical machine, your comments are sharp and precise and I would be very glad to have a talk in Groningen about the conceptual questions that you left out. Adri I think you have been my official grammarly and therapist altogether. Thank you for asking and yes I will beware of rhetorical questions in the future. Isabel, your compliment has made my last 3 days. A peer review should be something like what you provided: “I have no clue about this”. Òscar I will start feeling bad if I use you to correct every single one of my works but you made Laura speak catalan in this one. I pretty much needed your physics reductionistic tendencies and the long talks in my kitchen about the novelty of novel powers. For that I thank you. Jorge, thank you for being there with me last minute, pointing out punctilious details and telling me to rest and not overdue. Way over that point. I appreciate every little single one of your comments even though I inherited a tendency to respond “no” quite harshly. I hope you want to also read my texts in the future.
To my grandpa that even though he understands this thesis less than the previous one he tries. And to my brother, who is currently reading this text out loud to my mum.
Last but not least I have to thank Jessica Wilson for providing me with 300 pages of material + a 120 page symposium and to Jaegwon Kim for providing me with just 15 pages of material. I think I am not done with metaphysical emergence, now I understand just the very basics to immerse myself in the world of causation in the future. I am eager to learn more about contemporary metaphysics.
Thank you again!
Zulima
Displaying 1 of 1 review