Project
Which Metaphysics of Emergence for a Metaphysics of (Biological) Complexity?
The project aims to formulate a metaphysics of emergence appropriate for the understanding of complex biological systems. It will develop a structuro-functional theory of ontological emergence capable of explaining emergent causal properties, emergent qualitative properties, and the relationships holding between them. In doing so, the project will foster a fruitful dialogue between metaphysicians, biologists, and complexity scientists, providing a coherent framework for understanding biological complexity.
Bio
Erica Onnis is an Associate Professor in Theoretical Philosophy at Cusano University, Rome. She's been an alumna fellow at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Cultures of Research (RWTH Aachen University) since 2022 and a member of the Labont – Center for Ontology at the University of Turin since 2015. During her doctoral studies she was a visiting scholar at the University College Cork, the University of Lisbon and Wuhan University. Her research interests lie in metaphysics and philosophy of science. In particular, she studies the nature of emergent phenomena and the relationships between the notion of emergence and those of reduction, novelty, complexity, and causation. On the topic, she wrote a book (Metafisica dell’emergenza, 2021) and several papers.
Publications
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Ferraris, M., Hernández Marcelo J., Onnis E. (2024). Realismo y Emergencia. Madrid, Dykinson.
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Onnis, E. (2021). Metafisica dell’emergenza. Torino, Rosenberg & Sellier.
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Onnis, E, Paolini Paoletti, M. (eds.) (forthcoming). New Philosophical Approaches to Emergence: Towards Pluralism. Synthese Topical Collection.
