Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorMunroe, Zachary
dc.date.accessioned2009-10-02 16:01:05 (GMT)
dc.date.available2009-10-02 16:01:05 (GMT)
dc.date.issued2009-10-02T16:01:05Z
dc.date.submitted2009
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10012/4786
dc.description.abstractWhile emergentism is a frequently debated and contentious topic in some areas of philosophy, it is not discussed as often in the sciences. Where it does appear in scientific literature, it is usually a weak formulation that admits as emergent many entities and properties that would not be considered emergent under a stronger formulation. Premature admission of this sort sometimes occurs in the context of physics, but it is more likely to occur in higher-level sciences like biology. In this thesis, I examine the claim that life, a fundamental biological feature, is emergent. In order to do this, I begin by examining what counts as life. I settle on three features that are necessary for life as we know it, and I show that the smallest unit of life is the prokaryotic cell. I then examine the received view of emergentism and identify its key tenets. I consider two of these in depth, as they play a crucial role in my argument. Finally, I consider weaker formulations of emergence found in scientific literature in order to contrast them with the robust philosophical notion developed within this thesis. I argue that, based on a strong formulation of emergence, life should not be considered emergent, though some may dispute this position if a weaker version of emergence is adopted.en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity of Waterlooen
dc.subjectemergenceen
dc.subjectlifeen
dc.titleThe Emergence of Life(?)en
dc.typeMaster Thesisen
dc.pendingfalseen
dc.subject.programPhilosophyen
uws-etd.degree.departmentPhilosophyen
uws-etd.degreeMaster of Artsen
uws.typeOfResourceTexten
uws.peerReviewStatusUnrevieweden
uws.scholarLevelGraduateen


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record


UWSpace

University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883

All items in UWSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved.

DSpace software

Service outages