What is emergence and how does it differ from reductionism?

[cscott]

Can someone please explain the idea of emergence when compared to the reductionist point of view? What is the value of this idea?

 

[ZapperZ]

Try these first:

1. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/97/1/28.pdf
2. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/97/1/32.pdf
3. http://arXiv.org/abs/hep-th/0210162
4. R.B. Laughlin, Rev. Mod. Phys., v.71, p.863 (1999).
5. P.W. Anderson, Nature v.437, p.625 (2005).
6. R.B. Laughlin, "A Different Universe - Reinventing Physics from the Bottom Down" (Basic Books - 2005).

Zz.

 

[cscott]

I'll check those out, thanks.