ABSTRACT
This chapter explores, and assesses, which of downward causation and machresis offers the most plausible account of the Foundational Determination Relation (FDR) of scientific emergentism and structurally analogous positions. It describes the features of the S-emergence endorsed by scientific emergentists by highlighting the characteristics of the compositional explanations, and compositional relations. Scientific emergentism is now a widespread and important movement in the sciences from condensed matter physics through systems biology to the sciences of complexity and beyond. The most prominent, and popular, answer about FDR's nature is that it is a relation of 'downward causation' from the emergent composed entity to its own components. The treatment of FDR as a downward causal relation is further supported by the popularity of neo-Causalism in the philosophy of science that takes all explanations of singular fact and/or events to be backed by causation or causation-like relations.
