A Structural Dual‑Aspect Ontology of Biological Phenomenality and Teleological Direction - Holistic Emergence
Stefan Anderson
PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) August 18, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21994581 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that phenomenality emerges holistically from integrated biological wholes, not ubiquitously or reductively, and that this phenomenal interior grounds subjectivity, teleological direction, and agency, offering a basis for purpose and free will. |
Abstract
Holistic Emergence presents a structural dual‑aspect ontology in which biological organization actualizes the internal, proto‑phenomenal potential inherent in physical structure. The model rejects reductive physicalism, universal panpsychism, and functionalist accounts of mind. Instead, it proposes that phenomenality is neither ubiquitous nor reducible but emerges holistically when a physical structure becomes an integrated biological whole. This emergent phenomenality constitutes a phenomenal interior that grounds subjectivity, teleological direction, and agency. Holistic Emergence thereby provides the ontological basis for understanding purpose and free will as biological expressions of the internal aspect of structure. Keywords: dual‑aspect ontology, biological actualization, phenomenal interiority, internal teleology, phenomenal causality, strong emergence, philosophy of mind, philosophy of biology, metaphysics