emergent evolution

noun

1. the origin of entirely new properties at certain critical stages or levels in the course of evolution, as multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction, or nervous systems.

emergent evolution

noun

1. philosophy the doctrine that, in the course of evolution, some entirely new properties, such as life and consciousness, appear at certain critical points, usually because of an unpredictable rearrangement of the already existing entities

Word History and Origins

Origin of emergent evolution¹

First recorded in 1920–25