19.3 > Why is it impossible to infer the emergent properties of a complex system from the properties of the system components?
The emergent properties of a system characterize the entire system - all of a system's components' properties are included in this as well as their ability to work together. The emergent properties include properties such as performance, reliability, usability, safety, and security. A component can often be considered reliable, safe, etc. when functioning on its own, but when it is a part of a system, those properties are not enough. Emergent properties encompass component properties as well as defining whether the components work together or not. It is difficult to distinguish emergent properties of a complex system from the system components because the emergent properties depend on the components working as expected.