

This chapter is about emergence to the maximum degree. The study of artificial evolution and artificial life has shown that many of the phenomena we observe in nature, from the organization of the brain, to the stripes on the fur of the tiger, to the shape of ferns, are not preprogrammed in the genes but emerge in organism’s interaction
with the environment as it develops. Also, behavior, as we have seen, can often be produced in simple, cheap, and elegant ways by exploiting emergence. The field of artificial life capitalizes on evolution and emergence, and in this lies its fascination. In this chapter, we would like to convey at least the essence of this
fascination.