I wrote this article to continue a rich conversation about Justus Buchler’s contributions to metaphysics and by extension to the Ecosystem Development Framework (EDF),  that was abruptly ended with the untimely death of my partner Alistair Brett.  Alistair, who had a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, understood the importance of bringing Buchler and his book Metaphysics of Natural Complexes into our work on the EDF and ecosystem dynamics. Generating the energy and complex perspectives that easily emerged from our partnership and development process is difficult without him. In the myriad details of natural complexes that Buchler’s work examined, we reconfirmed our belief that the EDF could not merely address generalities but had to engage with the living details of ecosystems. In Alistair’s memory, I will continue to weave Buchler’s insights into the fabric of the Ecosystem Development Framework.

Denise Easton

Justus Buchler, a noted American philosopher of the 20th century, made significant contributions to process philosophy and metaphysics. Though not as widely known as Aristotle or Kant, Buchler’s work is highly valued in academic circles, particularly for those interested in alternative metaphysical systems that move beyond traditional substance-based metaphysics.

Alistair and I found Buchler’s perspective deeply influential in developing the Ecosystem Development Framework (EDF), specifically the Dynamics and Dynamic Model aspects. Buchler’s view of reality as a complex web of relational processes, rather than static substances, resonated with us. His emphasis on practical reason, human choice, and creativity has significantly impacted our discourse on human participation in organizational ecosystems.

Commonalities Between Buchler’s Philosophy and the Ecosystem Development Framework

Both Buchler’s philosophical position and the EDF emphasize the significance of dynamism, change, and adaptation. The EDF perceives systems as dynamic processes, mirroring Buchler’s understanding of reality as a collection of activities in perpetual motion. Moreover, both stress the role of practical reasoning and action in nurturing this dynamism and highlight choice and creativity as critical components.

What drew us to Buchler’s work and metaphysics related to themes of interdependence, emergence, and ontology. How we apply these three concepts in the context of business or organization ecosystems, involves continually understanding, engaging, and managing the interdependent relationships between different elements in complex adaptive human ecosystems.

Interdependence: Metaphysics explores the nature of entities and their interactions, similar to the EDF’s focus on the interactions within an ecosystem. Understanding how entities coexist, influence each other, and rely on each other is essential in both fields.

Emergence: Both metaphysics and the EDF are concerned with emergent properties – characteristics that arise from the system, rather than from individual entities in isolation.

Ontology: This branch of metaphysics deals with the nature of being and categorization of entities, which is paralleled in the EDF’s requirement to understand different types of entities in an ecosystem and their roles.

Integration and Application

By aligning Buchler’s dynamic philosophy with the EDF, we can foster a more engaged and creative approach to organizational decision-making. Buchler’s emphasis on choice and creativity aligns with the EDF’s focus on innovation as a driver of ecosystem development. This integration encourages proactive interaction with the world, informed choices, and the fulfillment of potential, contributing to the development and evolution of complex adaptive human ecosystems.