Lexicon: Causa Sui

The Etymology

Latin for "Cause of Itself." In Spinoza’s Ethics, this is the definition of God (or Nature). Something that is Causa Sui relies on nothing else for its existence. It is fully autonomous. Its essence involves its existence.

The Definition

Everything in the universe is a chain of causes.  

• The rain causes the grass.
• The interest rate causes the loan default.
• The algorithm change causes the traffic drop. Most things are Contingent (Dependent on external causes).

To be Causa Sui is to break the chain of dependency. It is to be the author of your own movement. While humans (and companies) can never be fully Causa Sui (we all need food/customers), Spinoza argues that the goal of life is to become more Causa Sui and less effect.

• Slave State: You act because something pushed you (Reaction).
• Free State: You act because it follows from your own nature (Action).

The Corporate Application

In business, we can measure a company's strength by how close it is to being Causa Sui.

1. The "Feature" vs. The "Platform"

• A "Feature" Company: Relies on Twitter’s API or Amazon’s marketplace. If the host changes the rules, the company dies. It is not self-caused; it is contingent.
• A "Platform" Company: Owns the customer, the data, and the distribution. It sets the rules. It is (relatively) Causa Sui.
• Strategic Goal: Always move from contingency toward sovereignty.

2. Leadership Autonomy A leader who is not Causa Sui is a "Inbox Manager." They spend their day replying to emails (External Causes). A leader who is Causa Sui ignores the inbox and executes their own roadmap (Internal Cause).

True power is the ability to act from your own internal logic, rather than reacting to the external noise.