Conceptual Foundations of Emergence Theory, 6. Strong Emergence Since 1970, Clayton

by Corry Shores
[Search Blog Here. Index-tags are found on the bottom of the left column.]

[Central Entry Directory]
[Emergentism, Entry Directory]
[Clayton's Conceptual Foundations of Emergence Theory, Entry Directory]

Philip Clayton

"Conceptual Foundations of Emergence Theory"

6. Strong Emergence Since 1970

Emergentism began to fade in the 1930's. It suffered from critiques by Stephen Pepper, W.T. Stace, and Arthur Pap. For example, Stace argued that "although evolution produces novelty, there is nothing philosophically significant to say about it; neither indeterminism nor emergence can make novelty philosophically productive." (15a)

However, come the 1970's, there was an explosion of interest in emergence theories. Leading to this explosion were two main figures in the short pre-history of the re-emergence of emergentism: Michael Polanyi and Roger Sperry.

Clayton, Philip. "Conceptual Foundations of Emergence Theory." in The Re-Emergence of Emergence: The Emergentist Hypothesis from Science to Religion. Ed. Philip Clayton and Paul Davies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.