---
schema: 1
type: term
title: '**emergence**'
description: >-
  **Emergence** is the process by which a current set of capabilities eventually
  unlocks an entirely new set of capabilities — the _adjacent possible_ (coined
  by Stuart Kauffman, popularized by Steven Johnson) — so that ideas,
  capabilities, and values arise organically over time rather than being forced
  from a fixed plan.[^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@201]
  [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@233]
  [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@245]
canonical: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/emergence-5b272c1d44ef'
markdown: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/emergence-5b272c1d44ef.md'
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# \*\*emergence\*\*

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/emergence-5b272c1d44ef

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

**Emergence** is the process by which a current set of capabilities eventually unlocks an entirely new set of capabilities — the _adjacent possible_ (coined by Stuart Kauffman, popularized by Steven Johnson) — so that ideas, capabilities, and values arise organically over time rather than being forced from a fixed plan.[^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@201] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@233] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@245]

Across the captured material, **emergence** describes the way a *current set of capabilities eventually unlocks an entirely new set of capabilities* — the idea of the **adjacent possible**, coined by **Stuart Kauffman** at the Santa Fe Institute and popularized by **Steven Johnson**.[^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@201] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@211] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@222] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@233] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@245]The concept is applied to companies and new ventures: ideas, capabilities, and values *emerge over time* — things get proven and disproven, and the process becomes **organic rather than forced**.[^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@233] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@245] Steve Schlafman connects it to starting something new without knowing what it will become — five years later, the earlier version couldn't have predicted the outcome.[^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@119] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@130] He treats his own venture, **Downshift**, as a *container for emergence*: rather than a fixed, rigid company from day one, the earliest days are an organic process where ideas and opportunities surface as you move through time.[^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@166] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@178] [^01a0f15a-e496-7964-85ab-85bb697e4222@190]Use this entry to understand how the channel frames emergence — not as a fixed plan unfolding, but as capabilities unlocking new capabilities over time. Watch the moment where Steve explains the adjacent possible: - **Emergence** = current capabilities unlocking an entirely new set of capabilities (the adjacent possible, via Stuart Kauffman and Steven Johnson). - In companies, ideas, values, and opportunities emerge organically — proven and disproven over time, not forced. - Early ventures can be treated as a *container for emergence* instead of a rigid day-one plan.