CAUSALITY (Multiple)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 379 ▶ |
| Object type | General information |
The existence of various simultaneous and concurrent causal lines in a complex system.
Multiple causality is closely related with the very nature of complexity. In a complex system, a number of different processes must take place at any instant, and the effects constantly interfere with each other in varying ways. This generates a kind of global determinism, but with some, or much, leeway for specific processes. The only basic constraint is that none of these should infringe the general conditions necessary for the survival of the system.
Important consequences are that very numerous combinations of interactions are normally possible among the various processes, and that their simultaneous character, combined with different time lags, lead to some instability, or possibly to an ergodic, or even chaotic behavior.
See also
Ergodicity and Homeostat