To occur as an interruption or change to an existing situation.
Used in a Sentence
supervenes
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for supervenes.
Editorial note
This is good reason to think that anything that interacts with the physical is also physical or supervenes on the physical.
Examples17
Definitions4
Parts of speech1
Quick take
To occur as an interruption or change to an existing situation.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of supervenes gathered in one view.
To be dependent on an earlier event.
To supersede.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for supervenes.
verb
To occur as an interruption or change to an existing situation.
verb
To be dependent on an earlier event.
verb
To supersede.
verb
(intransitive) To follow (something) closely, either as a consequence or in contrast.
Example sentences
This is good reason to think that anything that interacts with the physical is also physical or supervenes on the physical.
No, the claim is that not everything in the world is physical, even if it all supervenes (is constituted by) the physical.
The bound informational dynamic that supervenes on the activity of the individual units in the cluster.
Biological reality itself is an implementation, or supervenes on, a fundamental material reality.
Or the more common definition: A supervenes on B if there can be no change in A without a corresponding change in B.
This looks promising and has considerably more funding, but there is apparently little focus on how our intelligence supervenes on our brains at Vicarious....
Information, for example, is abstract, but it supervenes on some physical stuff.
Arguably, the phenomena supervenes upon the physical structure of those constraints.
Sentience supervenes or at least largely determines social and legal status.
When software supervenes on data and code, data and code supervenes on bytes, bytes supervene on bits, bits supervene on transistors, transistors supervene on electrons, electrons supervene on the field.
I also see evidence that my consciousness supervenes on the operation of my brain, and I observe that other people have brains.
I can't vouch for Sapolsky's presentation, but what science tells us is that branching dynamics, the substrate of choice, supervenes on non-branching dynamics.
Quote examples
For one thing, to say that life supervenes upon chemistry which supervenes upon physics is actually taking the _opposite_ position than "life is emergent," at least to the extent that philosophers agree about what emergent means.
But this contradicts the premise that "everything [including the mind] supervenes on the physical" (i.e.
But this contradicts the premise that "everything [including rainstorms] supervenes on the physical" (i.e.
Note that my claim that consciousness supervenes on the dynamics of the EM field generated by the brain does not make it "mysticism".
Proper noun examples
Supervenes on the physical, at least in the context of consciousness, implies substance independence of consciousness.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use supervenes in a sentence?
This is good reason to think that anything that interacts with the physical is also physical or supervenes on the physical.
What does supervenes mean?
To occur as an interruption or change to an existing situation.
What part of speech is supervenes?
supervenes is commonly used as verb.