Unification and Emergence in Physics: the Problem of Articulation

What is physics? What are the limits of what physics can say about the world? In seeking ever-broader theoretical ‘umbrellas' for physical phenomena, we are seeking unifying principles. Emergent phenomena have turned out to be some of the most difficult to explain, causing a ‘clash of umbrellas,' so-to-speak. It is possible some of our difficulties lie in our way of articulating different parts of our field. I use articulation in its broadest sense here to include the purely mathematical as well as the conceptual. As such, even if articulation is not at the root of the problem, paying it special heed as we probe the explanatory limits of physics is imperative. This is especially true if we want physics to possess as logical and consistent a framework as possible. But it is also important from the standpoint of how we communicate (articulate) with each other as well as with the general public.