11
Small Can Be Dangerous
11.1 Causality and Systemic Effect
An old proverb says, “If you want to know the past, look at the present that is the result. If you want to know the future, look at the present that causes it.”
Causality is a relationship between two successive events; the first (cause) gives birth to the second (effect). A precedes B.
According to this principle, things do not occur in isolation but are linked to each other in a process of interaction whereby some things are the consequence of others. If we want to change the effect, we must change the cause that generates it.
The Greek philosopher Socrates (470–399 BC) 2,000 years ago said the “law of causality” shows that every effect or event has a prior cause. The universe appears ...
