*H2O vs Water? Understanding Emergent Properties and Reductionism in “free will”? *

The concept of emergent properties highlights that systems can exhibit properties that are not simply the sum of their individual parts. A brain is cited as an example, where the emergent capabilities of the whole system cannot be ascribed to any single unit but rather to the interactions and structure of all its parts. This analogy is likened to water molecules where wetness only emerges when multiple molecules interact and not from the properties of a single molecule. Despite the complexity and emergent nature of higher-level phenomena, the argument emphasizes that everything boils down to the interactions and behaviors of individual components at the microscopic level, maintaining the principle of reductionism. Therefore, in the case of the brain or any system, there is no downward causation from higher-level properties impacting the behavior of lower-level constituents. Instead, all emergent phenomena are ultimately a result of the interactions of individual units, without any influence or control exerted by emergent properties on lower-level elements.