I was not happy about the way people use the word “Emergence” in the scientific discourse. So, gathered my thoughts and picked my favorite references to pen down what emergence means!
- What is emergence, after all?, arXiv:2507.04951
In this perspective paper, I take a clear-eyed look at emergence as it manifests in real systems, ranging from flocking birds to magnets to herd immunity in social networks. I explain how complex behaviors and patterns can emerge from simple parts interacting locally, and why these large-scale phenomena often can’t be easily understood just by looking at the pieces alone. Instead of getting lost in buzzwords, I break down the idea using concrete examples, showing that emergence isn’t magic—it’s measurable, physical, and beneficial for making sense of the multi-layered complex world we live in.
