I mean, couldn't you absolutely say you know more about an engine than before by invoking emergence? A skilled mechanic ignorant of physics could measure fuel f

I mean, couldn't you absolutely say you know more about an engine than before by invoking emergence? A skilled mechanic ignorant of physics could measure fuel flow and heat produced under different conditions, and try to figure out how the pieces fit without ever understanding the Carnot cycle - it's a useful way to describe what we know, even when we know it's not a complete picture. We haven't stopped studying consciousness after having concluded that it's a phenomenon that emerges from brains and their neurochemical environment by studying the pieces. I feel like your critique is fundamentally misguided.