From Emergence to Intention: Explaining The 4th Space

The beginning of The 4th Space as a concept began when I was 20 years old, remotely working on a paper for a Cognitive Science course I was taking in undergrad. Unlike previous courses in my program that were (naturally) psychology heavy, this course utilized subjects such as computer science, linguistics, philosophy, neurobiology, and more to develop deeper understandings of psychology and the mind. On this particular night, I was working on an assignment that asked me to develop an argument in support of the statement, "you do not need to understand the human brain to understand the mind."

Initially, I had no idea where to begin. My instinct was to say the opposite - that it makes sense that in order to understand the mind on a conceptual and philosophical level, we can begin by learning how different pieces of the brain work neurologically to support that understanding. However, through challenging myself, I would end up at an entirely different conclusion that ultimately brought The 4th Space into fruition. As this assignment was one of the last in the course, we had weeks and weeks of readings, discussions, and assignments that built up to this. Thankfully, this provided me with a lot of material to pour through, trying to find something that challenged my perspective a bit. Although it took time, I was eventually reminded of a philosophical concept covered earlier in the course: emergence. 

Looking back at the assignment now, I defined emergence as, "bigger things emerging from what they are composed of." Examples include how entire nations are composed of the people inside of them. The people inside of these nations are composed of organs, skeletal systems, and blood vessels which all emerge from cells. Even the cells themselves emerge from proteins, which come from molecules, which come from atoms. Now, I am not a philosopher and I am also not a biologist. I'm not an expert on these things, but something I think we can all clearly see here is how these all combine and cooperate with each other in ways that allow things bigger than themselves to form.

Again, I'll re-emphasize, I am not a philosopher. Nevertheless, my understanding of this concept had me questioning my initial view point. Did I really need to understand the brain on a neurological level in order to understand the mind? Pulling in the previous example of emergence, do I need to understand how cells function in the human body in order to understand the sociopolitical functioning of a nation? Where was the line? Did one even exist?

My conclusion was this: While developing an understanding of the brain through neuroscience could definitely support an understanding of the mind, this is not the only route we can take. Infact, I would argue an even better route would be centered on two things: connection and synthesization (bringing together ideas). Neuroscience has it's value in understanding how the mind works through biology, but we have a myriad of other disciplines that study the mind through different lenses. We have linguistics, which studies how the mind is conveyed and communicated through language. We have computer science, which attempts to mirror the mind through artificial intelligence and information processing. We have psychology, which studies the mind through behaviour, or even history, which studies how the mind makes sense of social, political, and cultural systems. We have so many different disciplines that are rooted in their own unique perspectives of the mind. What would the impact of synthesizing these disciplines be? How could an approach centered in connection allow us to view ourselves and our communities more holistically?

Now, what in the world does this have to do with The 4th Space?

Short answer: everything. The long answer begins at a concept from sociology called "third spaces." A third space is a space outside of your home (first space) and work or school environment (second space) that provides a familiar sense of community, connection, and safety (see: Third Place, Third Space Theory). Third spaces are necessary for us to feel socially and relationally satisfied. Some examples include places like community centers, religious spaces, and libraries. The Third Space Theory (linked above) even goes on to suggest that the existence of these spaces stems from the sociocultural needs of the minds of people that inhabit it, as well as offers a space for people of different social spaces to interact and connect with each other.

But as meaningful as third spaces can be, they don’t always offer the depth or intentionality that some of us crave when it comes to our inner lives. Many of these spaces prioritize connection with others but may not center on connecting to ourselves. Looping back to the concept of emergence from earlier, what would happen if we tried to synthesize our desire for external connection and community with intentional, therapeutic, and reflective practices? What if there was a space that embraced both the collective and the deeply personal, creating a bridge between who we are in community and who we are when we’re with ourselves?

The 4th Space is designed to be that bridge. It invites us to step into a space where we hold both our shared humanity and the intricacies of our individual experiences. It is a place for cultivating inner awareness while staying connected to the systems and relationships that shape our lives. The 4th Space encourages us to look inward with compassion and curiosity, while also imagining what it means to contribute to the world in ways that feel authentic and transformative.

In some ways, The 4th Space is less about the external environment and more about the experience we cultivate together, regardless of where we are at. I aim for this practice and this space as a whole to provide the opportunity for us all to unabashedly and safely experience our inner worlds, without the need to withdraw or suppress. Instead, you are invited to show up fully and embrace all the parts of yourself (yes, even that one). The community we build here will be sure to hold them all with care.