Causal mechanism explanation arises in response to the limitations of deterministic and probabilistic causation,with the primary aim being to elucidate the occurrence of causal mechanism within the research objects in an acceptable manner to the audience.The Coleman's Boat Diagram,grounded in the methodology of structural individualism,can serve as a pivotal tool in realizing the aforementioned objectives by visualizing the cross-level casual mechanism explanation.Taking Schelling's Segregation Model as a case study,it is expected to clarify the foundational logic of this mode and identify the potential challenges arising during empirical investigation.In doing so,this case unveils the synergistic and distinct roles of logic and visual thinking to understand complex social phenomena.The findings show that logical thinking aims to refine and summarize the development laws of objective entities,while visual thinking endeavors to depict them intuitively.Integrating these approaches facilitates an organic equilibrium between depth and breadth in problem comprehension.However,the divergent focus on elucidating the developmental laws of objective phenomena poses challenges in comprehensively understanding the complexity and diversity of social phenomena.This article offers methodological insights for contemporary Chinese political dynamics by examining the classic diagram of cross-level causal mechanism,as developed within Western academia.
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