Chance and the Emergence of Purpose

I offer a way of thinking about the structure ('topology') of emergence in which chance (novelty), constraint, and regularities have roles at every level of natural organization. This view of emergence builds on C. S. Peirce's account of the relation between contingency and teleology. I support this view of the role of chance in emergent phenomena with reference to computer modeling and empirical research in RNA biochemistry in the field of origin-of-life research. Finally, I offer a trinitarian theological interpretation of this view of emergence that has a bearing on how to understand the relation between God's transcendence and immanence.