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Originally Posted by Paul C. Anagnostopoulos  If reductionism says that we can explain the principles of operation of a system by explaining the operation of its parts, that does not imply that we can understand a specific, existing system by analyzing its components. If the system includes random factors, for example, we would not be able to predict the system from its parts, even though we can describe the operation of a family of these systems in probabilistic terms.
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The whole of physical reality is random. Randomness need not imply unpredictability. On the other hand chaos theory will entail that many things are completely unpredictable -- but that's just not interesting. Anyway I explained what reductionism means. I thought you might have found it easier to understand than something like my proof for mental causation. My mistake!
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Why not? It sounds like you are assuming some sort of dualistic notion of this consciousness that arises.
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I don't think I'm assuming anything apart from the notion that consciousness i.e phenomenological consciousness, exists. I don't know if you think such an assumption entails dualism.
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I have no idea why you think this.
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{shrugs}
No one ever seems to understand what I'm talking about when I discuss such things -- or at least materialists don't. But you asked me to explain. I have tried to do so to the best of my ability. I can do no more.