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GLOSSARY INQUIRY: CAUSATION
The phenomenon of emergence in complex systems requires an expanded understanding of causation.
Traditional, analytic science accepts only “efficient”, billiard-ball style explanations of causation, in which causes are separate from, or external to, effects. However, complex systems can be said to cause themselves in several important ways: 1) “upward causation”, the “bottom-up” process by which local interactions among the parts of a complex system give rise to it as an emergent whole; and, in some cases, 2) “downward causation”, the “top-down” process by which an emergent whole constrains the activities of its parts to serve its purposes (for example, the way the conscious mind directs one’s mental processes towards solving certain problems, or the way society constrains the actions of its members through laws).
Educational settings manifest both upward and downward causal processes. For instance, the interactions of students and a teacher give rise to an emergent classroom dynamic, while the teacher’s guidance (as well as subtle social pressures within the classroom) constrain behaviour in such a way as to ensure an accessible learning environment.
See related terms: Analytic Science, Complex Systems, Parts, Classroom, Conditions for Emergence.
