Closure of Self-Determining System Based on Causal and Constitutive Relations
It provides a formal framework for defining self-determination in complex systems, addressing boundary specification for theorists in systems science and philosophy.
The paper proposes defining system boundaries for self-determining systems using closures of causal-constitutive loops, ensuring internal causation and avoiding reduction to supervenience, which implies a dual-process organization.
A self-determining system is defined as one in which causes originating within the system influence the system itself. This definition raises the question of how to specify system boundaries. Although the concept of "closure" is commonly used for this purpose, defining boundaries solely in terms of causal relations introduce challenges, such as how to handle external causes and circular causality. To address this issue, we introduce two types of asymmetric relations: causal and constitutive. We propose that system boundaries can be defined as closures of loops formed by these relations, referred to as causal-constitutive loops. By constraining constitutive relations, the resulting system necessarily includes internal causes and thereby satisfies self-determination. Furthermore, to prevent reduction to supervenience, constitutive relations must involve at least two independent variables. This minimal requirement leads to two interdependent loops, which implies a dual-process organization.