The Re-Emergence of Emergence The Emergentist Hypothesis from Science to Religion

by Clayton, Philip; Davies, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780199544318
• ISBN10: 019954431X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The power of science lies in the connection of events into lawlike patterns. Many today concede that the reductionist philosophy once dominant in scientific theory has proved inadequate, and significant new work is now being done to formulate its successor. Among the alternatives, the concept of emergence is receiving perhaps the most intense attention and interest.

Author Biography

Philip Clayton is Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology; Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Claremont Graduate University. Paul Davies is Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vii
Preface Paul	p. ix
Conceptual Foundations of Emergence Theory	p. 1
The Physical Sciences
The Physics of Downward Causation	p. 35
The Emergence of Classicality from Quantum Theory	p. 53
On the Nature of Emergent Reality	p. 79
The Biological Sciences
Emergence: The Hole at the Wheel's Hub	p. 111
The Role of Emergence in Biology	p. 151
Emergence in Social Evolution: A Great Ape Example	p. 166
Consciousness And Emergence
Being Realistic about Emergence	p. 189
In Defence of Ontological Emergence and Mental Causation	p. 203
Emergence and Mental Causation	p. 227
Strong and Weak Emergence	p. 244
Religion and Emergence
Emergence, Mind, and Divine Action: The Hierarchy of the Sciences in Relation to the Human Mind-Brain-Body	p. 257
Emergence: What is at Stake for Religious Reflection?	p. 279
Emergence from Quantum Physics to Religion: A Critical Appraisal	p. 303
Notes on Contributors	p. 323
Index	p. 327
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