Geschichten vom Ganzen

The philosophical concept of emergence is now used in almost every academic and scientific field. The variety of phenomena that the term encompasses and the wealth of concepts and intellectual figures that prove to be or declare themselves to be emergent are reflected in the term’s countless facets and its diffuse nature. This is the reason why Marcel Schwarz does not discuss whether any particular theory or entity can be classed as emergent or not in this book; instead he informs the reader about emergence in terms of systems theory and cultural studies from a higher level of observation and in four analytical case studies investigates the historical reasons why and the conditions under which the concept of emergence materialised. In short, therefore, he examines the emergence of emergence. In this respect, he provides insights into the different dimensions of the problem of emergence and shows that it is more than a purely scientific and theoretical issue.