ABSTRACT
This chapter describes that emergence is the central phenomenon in cultural and societal ontology. The types and manifestations of emergence have also been manifold. Various theories have characterized emergence as being unpredictable, irreducible or novel. Theorists have applied emergence theories to such diverse subjects as biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, psychology, religion and the social sciences. Emergence is conditional on numerous factors as well. Johannes Han-Yin Chang explained that the heart of George Herbert Mead's theory of emergence is his conditional interactionism. Mead's views of emergence were implicit in his work, having to be extracted through analysis of his words, descriptions and assumed intent. In contrast, complexity scientists have explicitly designated emergence as the primary phenomena within their theories. The science of social emergence is the basic science underlying all the social sciences, because social emergence is foundational to all of them.
