Many theorists propose that emergent processes played a role in leading to the initial lifeforms. Simple chemical reactions, driven by environmental conditions, could have undergone self-organization to form complex structures with life-like properties. This idea suggests that as molecules interacted, new properties emerged—properties not present in the individual components—that eventually paved the way for self-replication and metabolism. In this view, the transition from inert matter to living systems was driven by the inherent potential of matter to organize into increasingly complex, adaptive networks through emergent behavior.