When electrons or atoms or individuals or societies interact with one another or their environment, the collective behavior of the whole is different from that of its parts. We call this resulting behavior emergent. Emergence thus refers to collective phenomena or behaviors in complex adaptive systems that are not present in their individual parts.
Examples of emergent behavior are everywhere around us, from birds flocking, fireflies synchronizing, ants colonizing, fish schooling, individuals self-organizing into neighborhoods in cities - all with no leaders or central control - to the Big Bang, the formation of galaxies and stars and planets, the evolution of life on earth from its origins until now, the folding of proteins, the assembly of cells, the crystallization of atoms in a liquid, the superconductivity of electrons in some metals, the changing global climate, or the development of consciousness in an infant.
Indeed, we live in an emergent universe in which it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify any existing scientific problem or study any social or economic behavior that is not emergent.
https://twitter.com/MainandWall/status/690899305742385152
Hat Tip ~ David Pines, Emergence: A unifying theme for 21st century science, Co-Founder in residence, Sante Fe Institute - 10.31.2014
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