Emergence

The formation of complex symmetrical and fractal patterns in snowflakes exemplifies emergence in a physical system.

Complex systems
Topics
Self-organization Emergence
Collective behavior Social dynamics Collective intelligence Collective action Self-organized criticality Herd mentality Phase transition Agent-based modelling Synchronization Ant colony optimization Particle swarm optimization Swarm behaviour Collective consciousness
Networks Scale-free networks Social network analysis Small-world networks Centrality Motifs Graph theory Scaling Robustness Systems biology Dynamic networks Adaptive networks
Evolution and adaptation Artificial neural network Evolutionary computation Genetic algorithms Genetic programming Artificial life Machine learning Evolutionary developmental biology Artificial intelligence Evolutionary robotics Evolvability
Pattern formation Fractals Reaction–diffusion systems Partial differential equations Dissipative structures Percolation Cellular automata Spatial ecology Self-replication Geomorphology
Systems theory and cybernetics Autopoiesis Conversation theory Entropy Feedback Goal-oriented Homeostasis Information theory Operationalization Second-order cybernetics Self-reference System dynamics Systems science Systems thinking Sensemaking Variety Theory of computation
Nonlinear dynamics Time series analysis Ordinary differential equations Phase space Attractors Population dynamics Chaos Multistability Bifurcation Coupled map lattices
Game theory Prisoner's dilemma Rational choice theory Bounded rationality Evolutionary game theory
v t e

In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when a complex entity has properties or behaviors that its parts do not have on their own, and emerge only when they interact in a wider whole.

Emergence plays a central role in theories of integrative levels and of complex systems. For instance, the phenomenon of life as studied in biology is an emergent property of chemistry and quantum physics.

In philosophy, theories that emphasize emergent properties have been called emergentism.^[1]

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