[baandang]

From Introduction To The Theory Of Complex Systems:

• Complex systems can exhibit a rich phase structure and have a huge variety of macrostates that often cannot be inferred from the properties of the elements. This is sometimes referred to as emergence.

This is the term and as common a term in complex systems as there is.

"scale-dependent capabilities" implies inference from elements.

I think some people just don't like the very idea even though it is not unlike the concept of stochastic process. I would think the same reasons to not like the concept of emergence applies to stochastic process. Murray Gell-Mann though couldn't even raise complex systems above arguing if emergence is magical thinking so it is probably a lost cause.

Such an interesting field that always ends up as this conversation.

[naasking]

> "scale-dependent capabilities" implies inference from elements.

Don't confuse the post-hoc explanation with an a priori inference. We can post-hoc explain water's emergent liquidity property using modern quantum theories, but that doesn't mean we could have inferred it if given Schrodinger's equation and the atomic structure of hydrogen and oxygen.

"Scale-dependent capability" is a post-hoc explanation that of course looks obvious in hindsight, just like liquidity and pressure looks obvious in hindsight once you understand electromagnetism and atomic theory.