Re: quick question

Posted by Russell Standish on
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/quick-question-tp3037681p3065448.html

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

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