Page "Emergence" Paragraph 33

Emergent structures are patterns that emerge via collective actions of many individual entities.

To explain such patterns, one might conclude, per Aristotle, that emergent structures are more than the sum of their parts on the assumption that the emergent order will not arise if the various parts simply interact independently of one another.

However, there are those who disagree.

According to this argument, the interaction of each part with its immediate surroundings causes a complex chain of processes that can lead to order in some form.

In fact, some systems in nature are observed to exhibit emergence based upon the interactions of autonomous parts, and some others exhibit emergence that at least at present cannot be reduced in this way.

See the discussion in this article of strong and weak emergence.