Papers by Erica Onnis
Life and Mind Theoretical and Applied Issues in Contemporary Philosophy of Biology and Cognitive Sciences, 2024
Despite the various criteria presented in the literature, most authors engaged in the debate abou... more Despite the various criteria presented in the literature, most authors engaged in the debate about emergence agree on a fundamental distinction between strong/ontologically robust cases of emergence and weak/metaphysically innocent ones. The former typically involve entities that exhibit new causal capacities, while the latter are primarily associated with deductive unpredictability, conceptual novelty, and other qualities that highlight our epistemic limitations in understanding them. In this paper, I initially examine a paradigmatic example of weak emergence, namely the higher-level patterns generated by virtual cellular automata (CAs) as analyzed by Mark Bedau. Then, I demonstrate that the same mechanism can be observed in real biological systems, such as the dynamics governing the pigmentation ontogeny of the ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus). Unlike virtual CAs, however, real CAs produce patterns that seem to perform non-reducible functions. Therefore, I propose that despite the similarities between virtual and real CAs, the pigmentation pattern of the ocellated lizard should be regarded as a case of strong emergence. Moreover, I suggest that this analysis may shed light on the nature of biological emergent entities in general. Finally, the paper includes an addendum introducing an issue that, while not exhaustively addressed here, is highly relevant: how to metaphysically conceptualize the causal efficacy exhibited by the pigmentation patterns.
A partire dagli anni Novanta del Novecento, il concetto di emergenza occupa
un posto di rilievo i... more A partire dagli anni Novanta del Novecento, il concetto di emergenza occupa
un posto di rilievo in numerosi dibattiti di filosofia della mente, metafisica e
filosofia della scienza. I fenomeni emergenti sono solitamente definiti come
quelle entità che dipendono parzialmente da altre entità di livello inferiore
pur manifestando una certa autonomia e qualche forma di novità rispetto a
esse. Il generale consenso su queste caratteristiche, tuttavia, si accompagna
a un parallelo disaccordo sul loro preciso significato. Scopo di questo Tema
è introdurre il dibattito sull’emergenza, esaminando i criteri formulati per
descriverla e le varie forme che essa sembra assumere quando analizzata da
prospettive o in contesti diversi.
In Metaphysical Emergence, Jessica Wilson recognises the problem of higher-level causation as "th... more In Metaphysical Emergence, Jessica Wilson recognises the problem of higher-level causation as "the most pressing challenge to taking the appearances of emergent structure as genuine" (2021: 39). Then, Wilson states that there are "two and only two strategies of response to this problem" (2021: 40) that lead to Strong and Weak emergence. In this paper, I suggest that there might be an alternative strategy-not opposite, but different in kind-to approach this difficulty. As noticed by Wilson, the problem of higher-level causation was formulated and made central by Jaegwon Kim. However, Kim's arguments were grounded on distinct metaphysical principles-including Alexander's Dictum and its analysis in terms of causal powers. Rather than following Kim's formulation and responding to the problem he raised in his own terms, a different approach may be to question the pertinence of the metaphysical framework in which these arguments were originally grounded. The problem of higher-level causation, in other words, might be less "pressing" if ontological emergence came with a less strict and univocal view of causal novelty and ontological relevance.
Rivista di Estetica n° 82, 2023
As highlighted by the last IPCC report on climate change (IPCC 2022), in addition to mitigation s... more As highlighted by the last IPCC report on climate change (IPCC 2022), in addition to mitigation strategies relying on technological innovation and national and international policies, a relevant way to deal with the climate crisis is through personal behaviours such as shifting to sustainable diets. Despite being described as strategies relying on individual choices, however, the need for a global dietary change is hindered by some common narratives about food that have a relevant social dimension. Among them, the most entrenched and troublesome are those related to the idea of «freedom of choice» or «consumer autonomy» (Korthals 2004; Kaplan 2019), which have at their core the idea that humans should always be free to choose their foods. The realisation of a shift from the actual diets, which in developed countries has an extremely high environmental impact, to more sustainable ones, helpful in reaching mitigation targets, seems therefore to require an examination and change in the collective stories we tell about food and, especially, an adjustment of those “freedom narratives” about our relationships with it. In this paper I first suggest that freedom narratives are misleading because the right to food choice is conflated with the right to adequate (quantity and quality of) food. Then, I show that freedom narratives are too narrow because they imply a too narrow view of human rights and lack contextual depth. Novel narratives about food should therefore be broader and should offer deeper knowledge about the relationships between humans, food and the environment. In the frame of these novel, wider stories about food, individual shifts toward sustainable lifestyles will be easier, and these achievements might be able to benefit both climate change mitigation and adaptation.
THEORIA. An International Journal for Theory, History and Foundations of Science, 2023
Despite the common use of the concept of emergence, no uncontroversial theoretical framework has ... more Despite the common use of the concept of emergence, no uncontroversial theoretical framework has been yet formulated in this regard. In this paper, I examine what this circumstance suggests about the significance and usefulness of this concept. I first trace a brief history of the notion of emergence from its first formulation among the British Emergentists to its contemporary uses. Then, I outline its most common features and examine three examples of emergent phenomena, namely particle decay, free will, and division of labour in ant colonies. These three cases of emergence exhibit different features and imply criteria which only partially overlap. I then suggest that the multiplicity of features and criteria recognised as defining emergence, rather than being a threat to the tenability of the concept, should encourage the assumption of a pluralist attitude that is consistent with both the employment of this idea in different sciences and the recognition of emergent phenomena across different levels of organisation. Finally, I propose that emergence can be approached in a similar way to how Richard Boyd approached the problem of natural kinds, namely by identifying an open cluster of properties, rather than a set of necessary and sufficient conditions.
Studi di Estetica, 2022
Emergent phenomena can be weak or strong. The former reflect epistemic limits and are ontological... more Emergent phenomena can be weak or strong. The former reflect epistemic limits and are ontologically innocent. The latter instantiate properties and powers not had by their components, and they are genuine, novel entities of the world. In this paper, I first show that this view rests upon two metaphysical assumptions: the Eleatic principle, and a power-based view of causation. Then, I suggest that these assumptions should be discussed, rather than passively accepted, and this for three reasons at least: British Emergentism did not require them; they pave the way to relevant objections against the autonomy of emergent phenomena; they provide a too narrow metaphysical frame for emergence.
Rivista di Estetica n° 72, 2019
Rivista di Estetica n° 72 , 2019
The complex and long genesis of the Daodejing is widely known. Whether it was originally composed... more The complex and long genesis of the Daodejing is widely known. Whether it was originally composed by a single author, the legendary Laozi, or whether it emerged over time as a sort of collective anthology of ancient sayings, the text underwent countless changes made by copyists and commentators over the centuries, and the Daodejing extensively published today is clearly something different from its first (and second) versions. For this reason, as well as for the nature of Chinese thought itself, it seems inappropriate to search for a philosophical “system” in the Daodejing. Nonetheless, the text can shed light on the view of nature permeating classical China. The paper will focus on three issues. The first is the ontological non-individualization of the Dao, which is the counterpart to the epistemological individualization of the human and social world. The second is the kind of metaphysics that can frame these features: a metaphysics of diachronic events, processes, and emergences, rather than a synchronic metaphysics of objects, substances, and monadic properties. The third, finally, is the fragmenting power of language, which through naming and knowledge creates that individualization that splits the undivided unity of the Dao.
Estudios Filosoficos, 2019
In this paper I analyse the model of emergence formulated by Maurizio Ferraris in 2016, searching... more In this paper I analyse the model of emergence formulated by Maurizio Ferraris in 2016, searching for its theoretical roots in his doctrine of trace (ichnology). After a review dedicated to the classical and contemporary emergentist debate, I show that the notion of emergence elaborated by Ferraris is ontological and diachronic. This kind of emergence, which is grounded on the concepts of trace and recording, is also configured as a key concept within Ferraris’ thought because it is the keystone of a view of reality that can be called "Metaphysical textualism" and that is expressed for the first time in the 2016 book "Emergenza".
Parti, insiemi e sistemi. Il concetto di emergenza in filosofia / Parts, Wholes and Systems. The Concept of Emergence in Philosophy, Sep 2019
In the last decades, countless works have been dedicated to the definition and analysis of the no... more In the last decades, countless works have been dedicated to the definition and analysis of the notion of emergence. In this article, I focus on three monographs recently written by three metaphysicians and philosophers of science, Paul Humphreys (2016), Carl Gillett (2016) and Jessica Wilson (forthcoming), and I outline their models of emergence, together with the criteria considered fundamental for their formulation.
The Philosophy and Art of Wang Guangyi, 2019
The Philosophy and Art of Wang Guangyi, 2019
Accostandosi alle opere di Friedrich Nietzsche, il primo elemento che colpisce il lettore è certa... more Accostandosi alle opere di Friedrich Nietzsche, il primo elemento che colpisce il lettore è certamente lo stile, ossia il suo procedere filosofico incalzante e contorto, l’uso continuo di figure retoriche, di apostrofi indirizzati al lettore, di interrogative, di incisi dal contenuto inatteso e talora parossistico. Viene dunque da chiedersi perché Nietzsche, che si sentiva profondamente filosofo, abbia deciso di rigettare lo stile proprio della tradizione filosofica occidentale per coltivare una modalità di scrittura così originale, idiosincratica e controversa. Analizzando alcuni snodi del pensiero di Nietzsche, cercheremo di mettere in luce come lo stile nietzscheano non si limiti a riportare il pensiero del filosofo, ma, per certi versi, lo incarni. Indicheremo come la scelta di uno stile straniante e spesso poetico, rifletta l’intento di evidenziare l’intrinseca problematicità del nostro uso del linguaggio e il rispecchiarsi, in esso, di una dimensione che trascende la sintassi e la semantica e che potremmo definire “habitativa”.
One of the main purposes of Maoist China was to disrupt any ability of independent thinking, in o... more One of the main purposes of Maoist China was to disrupt any ability of independent thinking, in order to establish a total control on masses. The most effective tool to achieve this goal had been propaganda: Maoist era posters are well known and have often been the subject of rework, but Wang Guangyi recasts these authentic instruments of control, with no satirical nor polemic and aim. The harder effect of Maoist propaganda was on the ideological level as it produced a whole generation of disoriented citizens, unconscious and inert like " sesame pancakes randomly turn up and down ". The main interest of Wang Guangyi was so to underline the human drift caused by propaganda and reverse the course of it, making use of the same instrument: encourage critical thinking and struggle for identity, trough a renewed artistic propaganda which critically analyzes and duplicates the original one.
Conference Presentations by Erica Onnis
Book Reviews by Erica Onnis
Sebbene la coscienza sia stata a lungo considerata caratteristica peculiare dell'essere umano, ne... more Sebbene la coscienza sia stata a lungo considerata caratteristica peculiare dell'essere umano, negli ultimi anni si è assistito a un fiorire di studi dedicati alla mente negli animali non-umani 2 . Si tratta di un tema che solleva numerose difficoltà, chiamando in causa il problema delle altre menti in una forma estrema, dato che gli animali non hanno un linguaggio tramite il quale descrivere le loro sensazioni. Nonostante l'assenza di una definizione non ambigua di coscienza, quando si parla di menti non-umane si intendono alcune capacità riscontrabili in numerosi gruppi tassonomici e cioè percezione, discriminazione, consapevolezza e categorizzazione degli stimoli,
Books by Erica Onnis
Metafisica dell'emergenza, 2021
Negli ultimi anni, il richiamo al concetto di emergenza si è fatto sempre più diffuso in molte ar... more Negli ultimi anni, il richiamo al concetto di emergenza si è fatto sempre più diffuso in molte aree della filosofia e della scienza. Il termine viene usato per riferirsi alla circostanza in cui un sistema (fisico, chimico, biologico, ma anche sociale) manifesta delle proprietà e dei comportamenti che sembrano nuovi rispetto a quelli delle sue parti più semplici. Questo libro si propone di chiarire questo fenomeno, tenendo conto, da un lato, che le discipline coinvolte nel dibattito sono molte, quindi un approccio univoco all'emergenza potrebbe non bastare e, dall'altro, che per comprendere cosa sia l'emergenza è necessario delinearne le relazioni con altre questioni filosofiche di primaria importanza come quelle che coinvolgono la fondamentalità, la complessità e la causalità.
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Papers by Erica Onnis
un posto di rilievo in numerosi dibattiti di filosofia della mente, metafisica e
filosofia della scienza. I fenomeni emergenti sono solitamente definiti come
quelle entità che dipendono parzialmente da altre entità di livello inferiore
pur manifestando una certa autonomia e qualche forma di novità rispetto a
esse. Il generale consenso su queste caratteristiche, tuttavia, si accompagna
a un parallelo disaccordo sul loro preciso significato. Scopo di questo Tema
è introdurre il dibattito sull’emergenza, esaminando i criteri formulati per
descriverla e le varie forme che essa sembra assumere quando analizzata da
prospettive o in contesti diversi.
Conference Presentations by Erica Onnis
Book Reviews by Erica Onnis
Books by Erica Onnis
un posto di rilievo in numerosi dibattiti di filosofia della mente, metafisica e
filosofia della scienza. I fenomeni emergenti sono solitamente definiti come
quelle entità che dipendono parzialmente da altre entità di livello inferiore
pur manifestando una certa autonomia e qualche forma di novità rispetto a
esse. Il generale consenso su queste caratteristiche, tuttavia, si accompagna
a un parallelo disaccordo sul loro preciso significato. Scopo di questo Tema
è introdurre il dibattito sull’emergenza, esaminando i criteri formulati per
descriverla e le varie forme che essa sembra assumere quando analizzata da
prospettive o in contesti diversi.