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The idea of emergence in and of itself was not new to me, nor was it new to any of us really - evolution seems to come directly from emergence (conceptually, not chronologically). As natsu said, it was the application of this idea of simple interactions producing increasingly complex products to other areas of study, life, the world, what have you, that really made this course significant.

What really stood out for me in particular is that in mapping emergence onto the world at large, (and perhaps this is just the influence of my book presentation), you can begin to see an overall interconnectedness. What is now called the "Science of Networks" seems incredibly crucial to me, perhaps the most significant thing I've pulled from this whole course. It is this idea that resonates with me most and makes me believe that the whole of emergence truly has something significant to say about the world and the things that occur within it. Politics, economics, hell, even just general social spheres are affected by such a concept.

It's really amazing to think that an idea that stems from such simplicity can have such a broad impact on our lives - but I suppose that's the basis behind the entire class, haha.