First-person phenomena. Third-person rigor.
CSCSC Satellite Meeting at the Conference for Complex Systems 2026 · ccs26.cssociety.org October 15, 2026 · Binghamton, NY, USA
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Complexity science teaches us that the observer is part of the system. Contemplative practice teaches us how to be impartial observers. This satellite is about what happens when we take both seriously – as an invitation to ask what science is for.
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You are invited - Thursday, October 15, 2026 · in person and online
The program is set: two keynotes, four research talks, and a day built so that how we run it is part of the research. The central question stays the same - how should complexity science handle the fact that the observer is part of the system?
Attendance is through the main CCS26 conference registration, at a reduced rate if you only want to join this satellite or attend online. Register at CCS26 →
Join the CSCSC mailing list to be notified of updates on this and related events.
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Most complexity science assumes an observer-independent world. But cracks appear everywhere. In finance, models of the market move the market - the act of studying the system changes the system. In social dynamics, your theory of the group reshapes the group. In contemplative practice, understanding your own mind is the mind changing. These aren't edge cases: they form a continuum from the physicist in the lab, through the economist studying markets, to the person on the meditation cushion studying their own mind.
Complexity science has the formal tools to take this continuum seriously. Contemplative traditions have spent millennia investigating it from the inside. This satellite brings both to bear on the same question: what are we, as scientists, when the observer is part of the system?
You do not need to already work at this intersection to belong in the room. Come whether you apply complexity methods to contemplative phenomena, use contemplative insights to challenge how we model minds and societies, or simply want to think carefully about what observer-dependence means for how you do your research.
If you've felt the gap between your equations and your subject matter - this satellite is for you.
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This event is designed differently from the rest of the conference: alongside research talks, the day weaves in group reflection moments and community-led practices from diverse contemplative traditions. See how the day is held ↓
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Thursday, October 15, 2026 · all times local to Binghamton, NY. Click any session to open it.
Talks are 20-minute slots including questions; keynotes run a full hour with extended discussion. Practice and discussion sessions are described in outline - their details are still being shaped with the community.