Understanding Emergence Through Agent-Based Computation

Using the relationship between Newtonian particle dynamics and quantum theory, coupled with our information-limited nature, I argue against making a distinction between epistemological and ontological emergence. Instead, I provide a new definition of emergent phenomena conceptualized as a collection of statistical, hierarchical properties that reduce the degrees of freedom necessary for understanding and predicting systemic behavior. This definition is inclusive of open and closed systems, to the extent that a distinction can be made. It allows for appropriate analogies between the physical and social sciences. Given this view, I present a practical symbiotic approach for coupling neo-classical, top-down modelling to agent-based, bottom-up simulation.