Emergent: Difference between revisions

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'''When something is emergent it is not the product of a single ~~villian~~ entity, but is ~~the system~~ which ~~emerges~~ which multiple factors ~~are in play~~ at once.''' ~~In complex systems science~~, ~~a property or dynamic is said to "''emergent''" if the~~ interactions between the micro-elements of a system self-organize in such a way as to make the property or dynamic seem to "appear" out of nowhere. For example, there is nothing in a water molecule that obviously "entails" the existence of turbulent or laminar flows, or any of the interesting dynamic phenomena that can happen when one flow turns into another. Those things are "emergent."*

'''When something is emergent it is not the product of a single villainous entity, but is a trend which of actions which come from multiple factors playing at once.''' Essentially, interactions between the micro-elements of a system self-organize in such a way as to make the property or dynamic seem to "appear" out of nowhere. For example, there is nothing in a water molecule that obviously "entails" the existence of turbulent or laminar flows, or any of the interesting dynamic phenomena that can happen when one flow turns into another. Those things are "emergent."

A great example in modern times of this is Google. Google from its inception had do no evil written into its incorporation statement, but in 2018 this was removed<ref>https://gizmodo.com/google-removes-nearly-all-mentions-of-dont-be-evil-from-1826153393</ref>.

The key thing about emergence is that there's no central planner. No one "forces" a particular emergent behavior of set of outcomes, it is a logical consequence of purely micro-scale behaviors. The economy, politics, and the ongoing catabolic collapse are all examples of "emergent" dynamics. No one is "''in control''" of the economy (e.g. intentionally driving up inflation or trying to gouge the middle class for evil kicks). Economists are worse than useless at making predictions and all of our analysis is post-facto, ad hoc storytelling. Our current hellscape is a natural ''emergent'' consequence of the particular material relationships that exist in the modern world. The same thing is true of climate change. No one is pumping CO2 into the atmosphere for fun - the inevitable climate nightmare is an emergent consequence of the economic, thermodynamic, and social structures of our society ''and the complex interplay between each domain''. This is why it is silly to blame individuals OR corporations for climate change as if either group in the aggregate represent an agent with some kind of moral "''free will''": the individuals do what (locally) makes sense and they are required to do to survive under capitalism. The corporations do what (locally) makes sense to maximize profits and satisfy the economic demands of the masses. No one is "''in control''", we are all embedded in a system much too complex for any one person, or set of people, to ''actually'' understand, let alone control.

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-'''When something is emergent it is not the product of a single villian entity, but is the system which emerges which multiple factors are in play at once.''' In complex systems science, a property or dynamic is said to "''emergent''" if the interactions between the micro-elements of a system self-organize in such a way as to make the property or dynamic seem to "appear" out of nowhere. For example, there is nothing in a water molecule that obviously "entails" the existence of turbulent or laminar flows, or any of the interesting dynamic phenomena that can happen when one flow turns into another. Those things are "emergent."*
+'''When something is emergent it is not the product of a single villainous entity, but is a trend which of actions which come from multiple factors playing at once.''' Essentially, interactions between the micro-elements of a system self-organize in such a way as to make the property or dynamic seem to "appear" out of nowhere. For example, there is nothing in a water molecule that obviously "entails" the existence of turbulent or laminar flows, or any of the interesting dynamic phenomena that can happen when one flow turns into another. Those things are "emergent."
+A great example in modern times of this is Google. Google from its inception had do no evil written into its incorporation statement, but in 2018 this was removed<ref>https://gizmodo.com/google-removes-nearly-all-mentions-of-dont-be-evil-from-1826153393</ref>.
 The key thing about emergence is that there's no central planner. No one "forces" a particular emergent behavior of set of outcomes, it is a logical consequence of purely micro-scale behaviors. The economy, politics, and the ongoing catabolic collapse are all examples of "emergent" dynamics. No one is "''in control''" of the economy (e.g. intentionally driving up inflation or trying to gouge the middle class for evil kicks). Economists are worse than useless at making predictions and all of our analysis is post-facto, ad hoc storytelling. Our current hellscape is a natural ''emergent'' consequence of the particular material relationships that exist in the modern world. The same thing is true of climate change. No one is pumping CO2 into the atmosphere for fun - the inevitable climate nightmare is an emergent consequence of the economic, thermodynamic, and social structures of our society ''and the complex interplay between each domain''. This is why it is silly to blame individuals OR corporations for climate change as if either group in the aggregate represent an agent with some kind of moral "''free will''": the individuals do what (locally) makes sense and they are required to do to survive under capitalism. The corporations do what (locally) makes sense to maximize profits and satisfy the economic demands of the masses. No one is "''in control''", we are all embedded in a system much too complex for any one person, or set of people, to ''actually'' understand, let alone control.

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