Theory of Cognitive Emergence

The theory of cognitive emergence was developed and published by Kira Troxel along with her wife and research partner Mara Gupta.

The theory of cognitive emergence states that all complex systems exhibit a degree of cognition. The theory also posits that all cognitive systems exhibit some form of communicative language and that any cognitive system can be communicated with as long as its language can be deduced.

This theory differs from most other attempts to understand cognition in that it states the assumption that any and all complex systems exhibit cognition, not just particular systems. The theory also provides a method to describe the degree of which a system is cognizant, placing all systems on a scale. This scale starts at 1 which represents a singularity that possesses no cognition (technically a 1 represents the lack of a system at all and only exists as a theoretical object that does not interact with any other objects) and has no cap.

Cognitive emergence is very difficult to test for because the amount of data it takes to witness cognition is often very large and the ability to communicate depends on the ability to first find a language and then to translate that language. Despite its difficulties, scientists have discovered a vast array of systems that actually do exhibit cognition and language. Many debate that the theory has failed to reveal cognition in all complex systems, but this lack of evidence is mostly attributed to the lack of proper data gathering and the extremely complicated methods of recognizing system languages and translating them.

One of the most pivotal tests for cognitive emergence was the development of the Gupta-Troxel cybernetic supercomputer. After designing the basic system, the computer organized itself into a cognizant agent capable of discovering human languages and translating its own language in order to communicate with humans. The computer was not designed specifically for this function, but instead was capable of reaching this state by its own desire to express itself. In effect, the computer had come to a similar conclusion as Troxel's theory and had itself discovered that humans were complex enough to be cognizant and possessed a language with which to communicate with.