Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Collected Essays in Anthropology, Psychiatry, Evolution, and Epistemology

Bateson’s Rule, advanced by Gregory Bateson’s father, William Bateson, posits that any intervention in a system will have unintended consequences due to the system’s interconnected nature. This principle underscores the risks of linear problem-solving approaches that ignore systemic complexity. Bateson uses examples from ecology, education, and communication to illustrate how even well-intentioned actions can disrupt balance if they fail to account for feedback and context, underscoring the text’s thematic interest in The Use of Cybernetic Reasoning to Emphasize Interconnectedness.

Deutero-learning, or “learning to learn,” is a higher-order form of learning that involves understanding how learning itself occurs (166). Bateson introduces this concept to explore the recursive nature of knowledge and adaptation, where systems develop the capacity to improve their responses over time. In Bateson’s view, deutero-learning is vital for navigating complex systems, as it enables individuals and groups to adapt to changing environments.

The double bind is a situation in which contradictory messages create a no-win scenario, often linked to communication patterns within families or larger systems. Bateson believes that the double bind is a contributor to schizophrenia because individuals are trapped in conflicting communication loops with no way to resolve the