Supervenience
From CasGroup
(New page: '''Supervenience''' is a form of independence in interdependence: a system A is causal independent from a system B, and yet physically embedded in it. If a system A is embedded in a system...) |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| - | '''Supervenience''' is a form of independence in interdependence: a system A is causal independent from a system B, and yet physically embedded in it. If a system A is embedded in a system B, it is usually not possible to say who chances in system B affect system A. They are causal independent of each other. And yet there cannot be a difference in the system A without difference in the underlying system B, because the system A is embedded and realized by system B. | + | '''Supervenience''' is a form of strong [[Emergence|emergence]] characterized by independence in interdependence: a system A is causal independent from a system B, and yet physically embedded in it. To say that A supervenes on B means that there can be no change in A without a change in B. If a system A is embedded in a system B, it is usually not possible to say who chances in system B affect system A. They are causal independent of each other. And yet there cannot be a difference in the system A without difference in the underlying system B, because the system A is embedded and realized by system B. |
Supervenience is a kind of dependency relationship, typically held to obtain between sets of properties. A set of properties A is supervenient on a set of properties B, if and only if any two objects x and y which share all properties in B (are "B-indiscernible") must also share all properties in A. | Supervenience is a kind of dependency relationship, typically held to obtain between sets of properties. A set of properties A is supervenient on a set of properties B, if and only if any two objects x and y which share all properties in B (are "B-indiscernible") must also share all properties in A. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Examples == | ||
| + | |||
| + | A common example is the mind (system A) which supervenes on the brain (system B): any change in one's mental state implies that there has been some kind of change in one's brain state. | ||
== Links == | == Links == | ||