More is different¶
Anderson, P. W. (1972). More is different: Broken symmetry and the nature of the hierarchical structure of science. Science, 177(4047), 393-396.
Cited by¶
9 citations across 9 artifacts.
Each citation links to the sentence it supports in the citing article.
Primes¶
- Bottom-Up Perspectives
- Displays the general principle of emergent order
This sourceStrongly interacting many-body systems possess properties not derivable from component-level baselines; the constructionist-hypothesis critique of reduction.
- Displays the general principle of emergent order
- Downward Causation
- George Ellis's work on downward causation in fundamental physics and thermodynamics.
This sourceArgues strongly-interacting many-body systems possess emergent properties not derivable from component baselines; supports D19-089 (emergent collective behaviour and hierarchical structure in physics). NOTE: the pre-existing annotation's 'baseline-plus-deviation framings break down' phrasing is mis-pasted from another prime; corrected here.
- George Ellis's work on downward causation in fundamental physics and thermodynamics.
- Emergence
- Physics and chemistry: Anderson's "More is different" (1972) argued that hierarchical scales of complexity exhibit qualitatively novel behaviors not reducible to lower levels
This sourceArgues strongly-interacting many-body systems possess qualitatively novel properties not derivable from component baselines — directly supports marker 046 (physics/chemistry emergence, phase transitions).
- Physics and chemistry: Anderson's "More is different" (1972) argued that hierarchical scales of complexity exhibit qualitatively novel behaviors not reducible to lower levels
- Hierarchy
- Anderson's 1972 More is Different
This sourceFoundational essay on emergent collective behavior; argues that strongly interacting many-body systems possess properties that cannot be derived from component-level baselines, identifying the regime in which baseline-plus-deviation framings break down.
- Anderson's 1972 More is Different
- Holism
- Physics and emergence: Anderson's "More is Different" (1972)
This sourceFoundational essay on emergent collective behavior; argues that strongly interacting many-body systems possess properties that cannot be derived from component-level baselines, identifying the regime in which baseline-plus-deviation framings break down.
- Physics and emergence: Anderson's "More is Different" (1972)
- Scale
- … reasoning in science and engineering: Galileo's 1638 cube-square argument first articulated that a giant made of the same material as a man would not simply be a bigger man (bone cross-section grows as L² while weight grows as L³, so bones must be disproportionately thick); Anderson's 1972 "More is Different"
This sourceFoundational essay on emergent collective behavior; argues that strongly interacting many-body systems possess properties that cannot be derived from component-level baselines, identifying the regime in which baseline-plus-deviation framings break down.
- … reasoning in science and engineering: Galileo's 1638 cube-square argument first articulated that a giant made of the same material as a man would not simply be a bigger man (bone cross-section grows as L² while weight grows as L³, so bones must be disproportionately thick); Anderson's 1972 "More is Different"
- Scaling and Scale Dependence
- The dominant physics, bottlenecks, and control mechanisms differ at different scales, requiring explicitly scale-appropriate design and intervention, as Anderson (1972) argued in his classic critique of strict reductionism.
This sourceFoundational essay on emergent collective behavior; argues that strongly interacting many-body systems possess properties that cannot be derived from component-level baselines, identifying the regime in which baseline-plus-deviation framings break down.
- The dominant physics, bottlenecks, and control mechanisms differ at different scales, requiring explicitly scale-appropriate design and intervention, as Anderson (1972) argued in his classic critique of strict reductionism.
- Synergy and Antagonism
- Failure mode: the framework is applied to systems whose decomposition is not well-defined, forcing quantitative measurement onto phenomena whose qualitative structure the measurement misrepresents — the situation Anderson (1972) crystallized in "More is Different," where collective behavior at one scale resists reduction to component-level baselines.
This sourceFoundational essay on emergent collective behavior; argues that strongly interacting many-body systems possess properties that cannot be derived from component-level baselines, identifying the regime in which baseline-plus-deviation framings break down.
- Failure mode: the framework is applied to systems whose decomposition is not well-defined, forcing quantitative measurement onto phenomena whose qualitative structure the measurement misrepresents — the situation Anderson (1972) crystallized in "More is Different," where collective behavior at one scale resists reduction to component-level baselines.
Mechanisms¶
- Residual Explanation Review
- The touchstone here is the recognition that "more is different"
This sourceIt names the legitimate side of emergence this review must honor — some residuals really are irreducible — while the review's discipline guards against invoking it prematurely for any unexplained gap.
- The touchstone here is the recognition that "more is different"
Verification¶
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