Hierarchical Emergent Ontology and the Universal Principle of Emergence

Focusing on a hierarchical emergent ontology, this work presents emergence as a universal principle akin to evolution. It establishes ontological criteria for emergence, bridging traditional dichotomies and allowing a unified application across scientific disciplines. The approach demonstrates practical utility through case studies in cellular automata, quantum Hall effects, and neural networks, highlighting how this new metaphysics unifies scientific understanding, a feat unattainable through classical reductionism.