Complex Systems and Contemplative Studies @ CCS26

You are invited - Thursday, October 15, 2026 · in person and online

Two keynotes - Michael Levin (Tufts) and Alan Rodrigues (Rockefeller) - four research talks, small-group discussions, and a few short practices in between.

Attendance is through the main CCS26 conference registration, at a reduced rate if you want to join this satellite only or attend online. Register at CCS26 →

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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 (observer-independent), through the economist studying markets (weak observer-dependence), to the person on the meditation cushion studying their own mind (observation is the system changing).

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.