there are two possibilities to move from one description level to another:
the way in which one moves starting from physical level 0 and proceeds toward higher levels till ecosystem 5 is the one of emergentism and of complexity, where moving from a level to the higher emphasis is placed on the emergence of new properties and phenomena not present at the lower level, consideration already present in the Anderson work of 1972.
If one proceeds in the reverse way from the higher level to the lowest the way is the one of reductionism, or of simplicity, where moving from a level to the lower all the properties of the higher level are "canceled", and one focuses only on the description specifical at that level.
Then there is a third possibility, typically philosophical and not methodological, generically called holism (from greck όλος, or "total), where the description levels are taken all together, and is based partly on basic system theory and emergentism concepts, that is the properties of a system cannot be explained uniquely through its components and that the functional sum of all the parts is always greater/different than the sum of the parts functions taken individually, and partly is based on the conception that every level is intrinsically interconnected with all the others, and it is just for ease of description that are separeted, while in reality are indivisible. This latter concept is explicited for example in the Duhem-Quine thesis, according to which it is not possible to compare by experience individual scientific theories, one by one, but only sets of theories, holistically. The holism has some examples in physics in the entanglement concept and in the one of hologramatic system/universe, used for example in the so-called holographic principle, proposed by Nobel prize for physics 1999 Gerardus 't Hooft to attempt to model quantum gravity. At higher levels, such those of ecosystem and interaction/communication/social, the holistic vision may coincide with the systemic one; it is instead in general very difficult, if not impossible, to connect in an holistic way levels which are very far apart.
Then there is a third possibility, typically philosophical and not methodological, generically called holism (from greck όλος, or "total), where the description levels are taken all together, and is based partly on basic system theory and emergentism concepts, that is the properties of a system cannot be explained uniquely through its components and that the functional sum of all the parts is always greater/different than the sum of the parts functions taken individually, and partly is based on the conception that every level is intrinsically interconnected with all the others, and it is just for ease of description that are separeted, while in reality are indivisible. This latter concept is explicited for example in the Duhem-Quine thesis, according to which it is not possible to compare by experience individual scientific theories, one by one, but only sets of theories, holistically. The holism has some examples in physics in the entanglement concept and in the one of hologramatic system/universe, used for example in the so-called holographic principle, proposed by Nobel prize for physics 1999 Gerardus 't Hooft to attempt to model quantum gravity. At higher levels, such those of ecosystem and interaction/communication/social, the holistic vision may coincide with the systemic one; it is instead in general very difficult, if not impossible, to connect in an holistic way levels which are very far apart.
Then we analyze an example of "reality" or "piece of world" describing it level by level in the reductionism mode from top to bottom and in that emergentist from bottom to top, for the following image of reality:
The card players - Les joueurs de cartes
Paul Cézanne
oil on canvas 47 x 56 cm 1890-1892
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Reductionist level 5: ecosystem
Two men play card, and probably sometimes talk, making use of a table presumably by wood, in a place one may speculate as a tavern, probably of a village or in the countryside from the enviromental context marker which is possible to note from the mirror upon them which reflects outside, revealing as a countryside landscape. From the image there are no information on where and when this scene takes place, but we can certainly say that occurs about 13 billions of years after the birth of the universe in a emergerged continent on the third planet of a solar system of a G2V star of yellow dwarf type, placed rather toward the external edges of a barred spiral galaxy.
Reduzionist level 4: interaction/social
Two men are performing an interactive activity very special called play. The scopes and methods of such an activity vary depending of the type of game and of the age of the players. In this case, since they are two adults who use a tool called "cards" - composed of dozens of different figures printed, in fact, on paper - the business is to get to the end of the game for both players through a set of specific rules game. The end of the game, which was also codified into rules, is generally opposite between the two players and called "victory " for one and "loss" for the other. The goal for both players is to reach the end of the game called "victory".
The social level can be estimeted primarily by the marker on clothing and the supposed context of the province: both could be worth an indication of a middle class in the usual fashion, or a lower middle class with one of their best clothes. It has to be noted the use of hats with a of social function rather than functional to protect themselves from the weather conditions. The shaving of facial hair present in these two males can be considered of social use. From the type of clothing is possible here to estimate that the scene can takes place about the beginning of the 800s up to the present day in a western-style society.
Reduzionist level 3: organism/biological
The individual of male sex has self-named himself man (Homo sapiens sapiens, Linnaeus, 1758), also called uman being, a subspecies of Homo sapiens, a bipedal primate memeber of the family of hominids which includes many extinct genera and seven different living species of big monkeys. The species H. sapiens - of african origin such the same genus Homo - is a primate with short hair, adapted to terrestrial life, omnivore e and the eating habits of the original hunter-gatherer. The species, as all primates, has sexual reproduction. Its current distribution is almost cosmopolitan, and is by far the dominant species on the planet.
Both men and women have a brain very structured and developed, in proportion to the size of the individual, and able to abstract reasoning, language and introspection. This mental capacity, combined with the upright posture that frees the upper limbs, left grasping for the arboreal origin common to the whole species, allowed to manipulate the objects and allowed humanity to create a wide variety of tools.
From the african origin, about 200 000 y.a. from Homo erectus to date, the species has spread over almost the entire surface of the land with a total population that has passed, in March 2011, 6.9 billion people.
Similar to most primates, humans are social animals. They are also particularly successful in using systems of communication for the expression, the exchange of ideas and for organization. Men create complex social structures composed by cooperating and competing groups, which vary from small families and associations to large political, scientific and economical unions. The social interaction has introduced a very large variety of traditions, rituals, behavioral and moral rules, social norms and laws which form the basis of the human society. Men also have a marked appreciation for beauty and aesthetics which, combined with the human desire of self-expression, have led to cultural innovations such art, literature and music.
The men seem to express a wish to understand and influence the world around them, trying to understand, explain and manipulate natural phenomena through science, philosophy, mythology and religion. This natural curiosity has led to the development of technological tools and advanced skill;, the men are the only species still alive that uses fire, cook their own foods, dresses, and use many other technologies.
Reduzionist level 2: biological/cellular
As an animal, the human is an eukaryotic species. Every diploid cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, received from both parents. Of these, 22 pairs are autosomes and a pair are sexual chromosomes. It is estimated that humans have about 20000 or 25 000 genes. As with other mammals, females have identical sex chromosomes (XX) and males have different sex chromosomes (XY). The X chromosome is larger and carries more genes than the Y chromosome: that means that any disease of the X chromosome occurs more easily in men, because any errors in genes on the X chromosome which are not present at the same time in the Y should causing damage to the human phenotype; however, since in the Y chromosome there are many genes that are not also present in the X, among all SRY which is present in many other animals, the male genetic heritage is overall larger than the female and allows the formation of more tissue in males, which implies a strong contribution to sexual dimorphism.
The genome is composed by 46 separate chromosomes (22 pairs of autosomes + X + Y) with a total of con un totale di approximately 3,2 billions of base pair of DNA conteining about 20,000–25,000 genes.
Before the human being reaches adulthood, the body consists of 100.000 billions of cells, grouped in tissues and parts of systems or organs whose purpose is to enable essential vital functions. The organ systems of the human body include: circulatory system, immune system, respiratory system, digestive system, urinary system, muscular system, skeletal system, nervous system, endocrine system and the male and female reproductive system.
Reduzionist level 1: chemical/molecular
It is necessary to distinguish between the biological individual and the other elements of the scene.
The first is basically composed by water and characterized by the presence of macromolecules and molecules of organic type based on carbon and its bonding, such proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. Among the inorganic elements should be noted the presence of a macromolecule in the cellulose contained in the central element, associated with lignin. In the upper element with reflective characteristics should be noted the presence mainly of silicon dioxide with other oxides. Then there is the widespread presence of a gas, transparent in the figure, composed mainly by nitrogen and oxigen, singular characteristic typical of the higher levels, with remaining minor portions of other gases such and carbon dioxide. In a small spot of the image it is noted a exothermic reaction, probably due to the combustion of some kind of compounds.
Reduzionist level 0: physical - Emergentist levelo 0: physical
The reductionist and emergentist descriptions at level 0 coincide. What is present at the elementary level are protons, neutrons, electrons, at a less elementary level they are present in a bounded state called atom. According to the number of protons, equal to the number of electrons, in the various atoms there is the presence of different elements. The largest is nitrogen, in the trasparent gas diffused in the image, then there are relevant traces of hydrogen, oxigen and heavier elements such carbon, iron till about zinc. There is also the presence of photons in the solar light that illuminates the scene, some cosmic rays and (perhaps) some passing neutrinos and the omnipresent background cosmic microwave radiation.
Emergentist levelo 1: chemical/molecular
The atoms of the different elements present at level 0 join by chemical bonding making a wide variety of compounds, molecules and macromolecules. Single or bonded atoms are present in the gas that fills the scene. Compounds with elements even heavy are present in the two objects in the middle and on top of the image. In particular the first has the property to reflect the incident photons on its surface, while all the others absorb it and reflect only a fraction with specific wavelenghts. The molecules and macromolecules far more complex are present in the object on the left of the image, mainly based on carbon bonded with other elements in various forms, making long chemival chains with multiple properties: replication, self-replication, energy sources, catalysts and reaction controllers etc.
Emergentist levelo 2: cellular/biological
The compounds, molecules and macromolecules present at level 1 group together in various ways and structures: in the non-organic objects they group in mixtures or alloys, in the amorphous solid state in the object placed on top of the scene, composed mainly by amorphous silica. In the object at the center of the scene are present polysaccharides and an heavy and complex organic polymer mainly made by phenolic compounds which suggest that it is of organic origin. In the item on the left of the scene the compunds, mainly of carbon, are combined in long molecular sequences and form morphofunctional structures , that is of form and function, of very different types but with unique common characteristics od reproduction/self-replication, complex reactions for energy production, responses to external stimuli, retention over time of their own structure even with a continuos replacement of components.
Emergentist level 3: biological/organism
The morphofunctional units of level 2 join together in assemblies at different levels which make several types of systems, at least four included the overall structure, structurally very different and associated by function. The general ensemble has the properties of multiple structural and functional units, system integration, internal transmission of information and among different systems, growth, reproduction, evolution characteristics and interaction with the external environment.
Emergentist level 4: interaction/social
Two of the systems of level 3 use their property of interacting with the external. It is supposed that they are exchanging information by the use of the colored figures which are manipulating.
Emergentist level 5: ecosystem
From the reflecting structure present in the scene one can deduce the presence of an external environment extremely variegated and complex with many of the system properties present in the internal of the scene. This is also illuminated with a radiation with wavelength at least from 400 to 700 nm, since the color spectrum and the photons present at level 0, of unknown origin, coming from the external of the scene. It is noted the presence of morphogenetic structures both complex and with simple simmetries. The presence of elements and compounds at the gaseous state at level 1 indicates the presence of a compound gas in the environment.
Context
The overall description should not be complete without specifying the context and, if any, the meta-context markers.
The context derives from the fact that we are not describing a scene while physically present in a bistrot of the french countryside at the end of the 800s observing two men playing card, but we are using a representation of that scene, specifically a painting of oil over canvas.
Also of the context we may have a description, and in this case it is in art criticism field, for example:
"Two men in a tavern in the country are playing cards in front of a mirror. The image shows a pattern strongly geometric, which gives dignity to the two classic characters. Twisting the perspective view, Cezanne is able to obtain the highest degree of centrality, that is credible in a scene from real life: this slight deviation from the center is a keen ploy to avoid the risk that the work is too contrived: the things we do not are never in a state of perfect balance. The whole painting is made up of lowering the tone of the colors blue, yellow and red. The strokes are made with wooden blocks, and sometimes they are solitary and synthetic, as a reflection on the bottle or just the section that describes the sunken eye of the right player.
In Cézanne's painting, not only makes an impression, but also a description of the internal sense action, as if the summary is intended to remain in the mind, almost calcified and as a memory."
Meta-Context
The meta-context marker in this case is present, since we are not describing the scene observing the painting of Cézanne personally in a room of Musée d'Orsay of Parigi, but we are viewing a jpg image of 640x533 px displayed by a browser on a monitor, presumably allocated on a PC or mobile device, getting it through a fixed or mobile connection from one of the servers of blogger.com, where it resides, by internet.
Posts
