Title: Lonergan’s Oddly Strong Theory of Emergence

Abstract:

Jessica Wilson (2021) offers three characterizations of strong emergence: (1) heuristically, when higher-level features cannot in-principle be deduced from lower-level features, (2) the rejection of Physical Causal Closure in the emergence hexalemma, and (3) when a higher-level feature depends on lower-level features but has a novel power. I explicate Bernard Lonergan (1992 [1957])’s account of emergence to argue that these three characterizations come apart. Lonergan’s account is only weak emergence according to (1), and affirms Physical Causal Closure by denying adjunct premises rather than any of the assumptions of the emergence hexalemma, yet counts as strong emergence according to (3).