DOI: 10.1086/392615. Aggregativity: Reductive Heuristics for Finding Emergence

Aggregativity: Reductive Heuristics for Finding Emergence

10.1086/392615

Crossref journal-article

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Philosophy of Science (56)

Abstract

Most philosophical accounts of emergence are incompatible with reduction. Most scientists regard a system property as emergent relative to properties of the system's parts if it depends upon their mode of organization—a view consistent with reduction. Emergence can be analyzed as a failure of aggregativity—a state in which “the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts.” Aggregativity requires four conditions, giving tools for analyzing modes of organization. Differently met for different decompositions of the system, and in different degrees, these conditions provide powerful evaluation criteria for choosing decompositions, and heuristics for detecting biases of vulgar reductionisms. This analysis of emergence is compatible with reduction.

Bibliography

Wimsatt, W. C. (1997). Aggregativity: Reductive Heuristics for Finding Emergence. Philosophy of Science, 64(S4), S372âS384.

Authors 1

William C. Wimsatt (first)

References 22 Referenced 115

10.1086/283010
10.1007/978-94-009-9015-9_13
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R19', 'first-page': '23', 'volume-title': 'Neutral Models in Biology', 'author': 'Wimsatt', 'year': '1987'} / Neutral Models in Biology by Wimsatt (1987)
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R21', 'volume-title': 'Natural Contradictions: Perspectives on Ecology and Change', 'author': 'Wimsatt', 'year': '1997'} / Natural Contradictions: Perspectives on Ecology and Change by Wimsatt (1997)
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R17', 'first-page': '124', 'volume-title': 'Scientific Inquiry and the Social Sciences', 'author': 'Wimsatt', 'year': '1981'} / Scientific Inquiry and the Social Sciences by Wimsatt (1981)
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R13', 'volume-title': 'Natural Contradictions: Perspectives on Ecology and Change', 'author': 'Taylor', 'year': '1997'} / Natural Contradictions: Perspectives on Ecology and Change by Taylor (1997)
10.1007/978-94-010-2140-1_5
10.1093/oso/9780195079517.001.0001 / The Origins of Order: Self-organization and Selection in Evolution by Kauffman (1993)
10.1007/978-94-009-5349-9_14
10.1119/1.1937571
10.1038/229244a0
10.1080/00455091.1994.10717400
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R11', 'first-page': '183', 'volume-title': 'The Sciences of the Artificial', 'author': 'Simon', 'year': '1962'} / The Sciences of the Artificial by Simon (1962)
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R22', 'volume-title': 'Piecewise Approximations to Reality: Engineering a Realist Philosophy for Limited Beings', 'author': 'Wimsatt', 'year': '1998'} / Piecewise Approximations to Reality: Engineering a Realist Philosophy for Limited Beings by Wimsatt (1998)
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R5', 'volume-title': 'The Pendulum Clock, or Geometrical Demonstrations Concerning the Motion of Pendula as applied to Clocks. (Horologium oscillatorium;', 'author': 'Huygens', 'year': '1673'} / The Pendulum Clock, or Geometrical Demonstrations Concerning the Motion of Pendula as applied to Clocks. (Horologium oscillatorium; by Huygens (1673)
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R1', 'volume-title': 'Discovering Complexity: Decomposition and Localization as Scientific Research Strategies', 'author': 'Bechtel', 'year': '1993'} / Discovering Complexity: Decomposition and Localization as Scientific Research Strategies by Bechtel (1993)
10.1007/BF00172853
10.1515/9780691209418
10.1007/978-94-010-3142-4_18
10.1093/0198247044.001.0001
10.1007/978-1-4684-2196-5_8
{'key': 'S0031824800066198_R15', 'first-page': '671', 'volume-title': 'A. C. Michalos, C. A. Hooker, G. Pearce, and R. S. Cohen', 'author': 'Wimsatt', 'year': '1976'} / A. C. Michalos, C. A. Hooker, G. Pearce, and R. S. Cohen by Wimsatt (1976)

Dates

Type	When
Created	21 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 26, 2004, 3:46 p.m.)
Deposited	1 year, 7 months ago (Jan. 12, 2024, 10:01 a.m.)
Indexed	4 weeks, 2 days ago (Aug. 2, 2025, 1:21 a.m.)
Issued	28 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1997)
Published	28 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1997)
Published Online	3 years, 5 months ago (April 1, 2022)
Published Print	28 years, 8 months ago (Jan. 1, 1997)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Wimsatt_1997, title={Aggregativity: Reductive Heuristics for Finding Emergence}, volume={64}, ISSN={1539-767X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/392615}, DOI={10.1086/392615}, number={S4}, journal={Philosophy of Science}, publisher={Cambridge University Press (CUP)}, author={Wimsatt, William C.}, year={1997}, pages={S372–S384} }

JSON

{
  "indexed": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2025,
        8,
        2
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2025-08-02T05:21:43Z",
    "timestamp": 1754112103736
  },
  "reference-count": 22,
  "publisher": "Cambridge University Press (CUP)",
  "issue": "S4",
  "license": [
    {
      "start": {
        "date-parts": [
          [
            2022,
            4,
            1
          ]
        ],
        "date-time": "2022-04-01T00:00:00Z",
        "timestamp": 1648771200000
      },
      "content-version": "unspecified",
      "delay-in-days": 9221,
      "URL": "https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms"
    }
  ],
  "content-domain": {
    "domain": [],
    "crossmark-restriction": false
  },
  "published-print": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        1997
      ]
    ]
  },
  "abstract": "<jats:p>Most philosophical accounts of emergence are incompatible with reduction. Most scientists regard a system property as emergent relative to properties of the system's parts if it depends upon their mode of organization\u2014a view consistent with reduction. Emergence can be analyzed as a failure of aggregativity\u2014a state in which \u201cthe whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts.\u201d Aggregativity requires four conditions, giving tools for analyzing modes of organization. Differently met for different decompositions of the system, and in different degrees, these conditions provide powerful evaluation criteria for choosing decompositions, and heuristics for detecting biases of vulgar reductionisms. This analysis of emergence is compatible with reduction.</jats:p>",
  "DOI": "10.1086/392615",
  "type": "journal-article",
  "created": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2004,
        2,
        26
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2004-02-26T20:46:56Z",
    "timestamp": 1077828416000
  },
  "page": "S372-S384",
  "source": "Crossref",
  "is-referenced-by-count": 115,
  "title": "Aggregativity: Reductive Heuristics for Finding Emergence",
  "prefix": "10.1017",
  "volume": "64",
  "author": [
    {
      "given": "William C.",
      "family": "Wimsatt",
      "sequence": "first",
      "affiliation": []
    }
  ],
  "member": "56",
  "published-online": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2022,
        4,
        1
      ]
    ]
  },
  "reference": [
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R12",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1086/283010"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R16",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1007/978-94-009-9015-9_13"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R19",
      "first-page": "23",
      "volume-title": "Neutral Models in Biology",
      "author": "Wimsatt",
      "year": "1987"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R21",
      "volume-title": "Natural Contradictions: Perspectives on Ecology and Change",
      "author": "Wimsatt",
      "year": "1997"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R17",
      "first-page": "124",
      "volume-title": "Scientific Inquiry and the Social Sciences",
      "author": "Wimsatt",
      "year": "1981"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R13",
      "volume-title": "Natural Contradictions: Perspectives on Ecology and Change",
      "author": "Taylor",
      "year": "1997"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R14",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1007/978-94-010-2140-1_5"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R7",
      "doi-asserted-by": "crossref",
      "DOI": "10.1093/oso/9780195079517.001.0001",
      "volume-title": "The Origins of Order: Self-organization and Selection in Evolution",
      "author": "Kauffman",
      "year": "1993"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R18",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1007/978-94-009-5349-9_14"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R10",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1119/1.1937571"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R9",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1038/229244a0"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R20",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1080/00455091.1994.10717400"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R11",
      "first-page": "183",
      "volume-title": "The Sciences of the Artificial",
      "author": "Simon",
      "year": "1962"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R22",
      "volume-title": "Piecewise Approximations to Reality: Engineering a Realist Philosophy for Limited Beings",
      "author": "Wimsatt",
      "year": "1998"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R5",
      "volume-title": "The Pendulum Clock, or Geometrical Demonstrations Concerning the Motion of Pendula as applied to Clocks. (Horologium oscillatorium;",
      "author": "Huygens",
      "year": "1673"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R1",
      "volume-title": "Discovering Complexity: Decomposition and Localization as Scientific Research Strategies",
      "author": "Bechtel",
      "year": "1993"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R4",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1007/BF00172853"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R8",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1515/9780691209418"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R6",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1007/978-94-010-3142-4_18"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R2",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1093/0198247044.001.0001"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R3",
      "doi-asserted-by": "publisher",
      "DOI": "10.1007/978-1-4684-2196-5_8"
    },
    {
      "key": "S0031824800066198_R15",
      "first-page": "671",
      "volume-title": "A. C. Michalos, C. A. Hooker, G. Pearce, and R. S. Cohen",
      "author": "Wimsatt",
      "year": "1976"
    }
  ],
  "container-title": "Philosophy of Science",
  "original-title": [],
  "language": "en",
  "link": [
    {
      "URL": "https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0031824800066198",
      "content-type": "unspecified",
      "content-version": "vor",
      "intended-application": "similarity-checking"
    }
  ],
  "deposited": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        2024,
        1,
        12
      ]
    ],
    "date-time": "2024-01-12T15:01:56Z",
    "timestamp": 1705071716000
  },
  "score": 1,
  "resource": {
    "primary": {
      "URL": "https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0031824800066198/type/journal_article"
    }
  },
  "subtitle": [],
  "short-title": [],
  "issued": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        1997
      ]
    ]
  },
  "references-count": 22,
  "journal-issue": {
    "issue": "S4",
    "published-print": {
      "date-parts": [
        [
          1997
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "alternative-id": [
    "S0031824800066198"
  ],
  "URL": "http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/392615",
  "relation": {},
  "ISSN": [
    "0031-8248",
    "1539-767X"
  ],
  "subject": [],
  "container-title-short": "Philos. of Sci.",
  "published": {
    "date-parts": [
      [
        1997
      ]
    ]
  }
}