top of mind
Is the following proposition true: the whole is more than the sum of its parts
Can emergent properties be reduced to their fundamental interactions?
Can the behaviour of a system truly be understood solely through the interactions of its parts?
It may be the case that this is an issue regarding level of analysis. For example, If I were to attempt to understand how an organisation fundamentally operates by having an extended discussion with a low-level employee, I would only have insight into one, dimly lit corner of the larger organisational system. This holds true with understanding such things as aerodynamics. If I wanted to understand the behaviour of flight and only studied a bird’s feather under a microscope, I would miss the broader mechanisms of flight.
The above issue is inherent when you have a system of sufficient complexity. Multiple levels of organisation interact to produce higher-order functionality. Therefore, the initial questions should be rephrased to more specifically address the following:
- What levels of organisation are relevant?
- Which components within these levels are of interest?
- What emergent behaviour are we seeking to understand?
A Test of Imagery
