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A few things in the article From Complexity to Emergence and Beyond got my attention particularly.  First, I had forgotten the importance to emergence of interactions (see p. 5).  In class we talked a lot about whether we thought certain things were or weren't emergent and why, but we never got into the nature of it.  From the outside, with little previous knowledge, emergence seems to be a little bit mystical.  How exactly do these unique properties arise, seemingly out of the disparate threads of simple elements?  What happens in the mysterious leap?  Thinking about the various non-humans in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series, their seemless telepathic communication, the transcendence of physical distance in their interactions.  Is he reaching for a more tangible version of emergence?  Also thinking of scenes from Men in Black-opening the door into the larger universe, finding yourself to be a bit player in higher workings.  Leads to thinking-where does it end?  If we can't sense emergent properties above our level, who's to say we're not the ants in someone else's view?  Or, to continue the literary allusions (a bit too far), did Douglas Adams have it right, are the ants actually the mice, leading us along with tantalizing clues, ironically subverting our 'superiority?'  Or something silly like that.. Oops, I guess I never got to the other things in the article that interested me.  Maybe next time.