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Full Idea
A problem for strong emergence is that it opens the way for top-down causation if, for instance, our consciousness is causally productive of physical events.
Gist of Idea
Strong emergence seems to imply top-down causation, originating in consciousness
Source
S.Mumford/R.Lill Anjum (Getting Causes from Powers [2011], 4.3d)
Book Ref
Anjum,R.J./Mumford,S.: 'Getting Causes from Powers' [OUP 2011], p.101
A Reaction
This is what most fans of 'emergent' consciousness would love, presumably because it makes humans really important (nay, godlike!) in the scheme of things. It take it to be based on a hopelessly simplistic view of what is going on around here.
Related Idea
Idea 14553 Weak emergence is just unexpected, and strong emergence is beyond all deduction [Mumford/Anjum]
| 22741 | The incorporeal is not in the nature of body, and so could not emerge from it [Sext.Empiricus] |
| 5787 | There is non-event causation between mind and brain, as between a table and its solidity [Searle] |
| 2313 | Emergentism says there is no explanation for a supervenient property [Kim] |
| 2328 | The only mental property that might be emergent is that of qualia [Kim] |
| 4084 | Non-reductive physicalism seeks an explanation of supervenience, but emergentists accept it as basic [Crane] |
| 2405 | Perhaps consciousness is physically based, but not logically required by that base [Chalmers] |
| 6148 | Human organisms can exercise downward causation [Merricks] |
| 14911 | Science is opposed to downward causation [Ladyman/Ross] |
| 14556 | Strong emergence seems to imply top-down causation, originating in consciousness [Mumford/Anjum] |