Colloqium #37
Aug 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm CEST
Description
The concept of emergence, invented more as a vague idea than a clearcut ontological theory, is now over 100 years old, but unfortunately still largely unclear. After a brief introduction to ’traditional’ emergence theory, Wolfgang Sohst’s lecture will present a new model that builds on his work in process ontological theory. At the heart of this new emergence theory is a layered model. It assumes that emergence is not a property of individual objects but rather manifests itself level-specifically as the emergence of new types of objects, processes, and states, which enable them to achieve a process-logical interrelationship and unity as the respective level of emergence. This model is fully consistent with contemporary standard models of theoretical physics. However, it is directed against an absolute nomological determinism that supposedly applies from the Big Bang to the end of time.
Speakers
Wolfgang Sohst: Wolfgang Sohst (* 1956) is a philosopher who specializes in metaphysics. He is the founder of the academic publishing house xenomoi, Berlin (www.xenomoi.de). He has also led the philosophical working group MoMo Berlin (www.momo-berlin.de) since 2007. He has published two metaphysical monographs (“Process Ontology” [2009] and “Real Possibility” [2016]) and several articles on process metaphysics and formal process logic.