On the Topic of Emergence from an Effective Field Theory Perspective

TL;DR

This paper discusses emergence in physical systems through the lens of Effective Field Theories, emphasizing reductionism and weak emergence, and contrasting with Anderson's strong emergence view.

Contribution

It offers an Effective Field Theory perspective on emergence, supporting reductionist and weak emergence interpretations, and critiques strong emergence as proposed by Anderson.

Findings

Effective Field Theories describe phenomena across multiple length scales.

Supports reductionism and weak emergence in explaining emergence.

Critiques Anderson's interpretation of strong emergence.

Abstract

Effective Field Theories have been used successfully to provide a "bottom-up" description of phenomena whose intrinsic degrees of freedom behave at length scales far different from their effective degrees of freedom. An example is the emergent phenomenon of bound nuclei, whose constituents are neutrons and protons, which in turn are themselves composed of more fundamental particles called quarks and gluons. In going from a fundamental description that utilizes quarks and gluons to an effective field theory description of nuclei, the length scales traversed span at least two orders of magnitude. In this article we provide an Effective Field Theory viewpoint on the topic of emergence, arguing on the side of reductionism and weak emergence. We comment on Anderson's interpretation of constructionism and its connection to strong emergence.