2026/03/10 by Bernd von Mallinckrodt · 1 voice
paper · doi:10.5281/zenodo.18937527
openalex publication_date 2026/03/10 · openalex created_date 2026/03/11 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
This preprint introduces the Compression–Resonance–Tension Index (CRTI) as a proposed macroscopic stability metric for diagnosing structural fragility in complex adaptive systems (CAS). The framework is based on the Singularization Hypothesis, which proposes that systemic collapse is often driven not by disorder but by excessive structural optimization and rigidity. As systems increase efficiency and compression, adaptive variety and feedback permeability decline, eventually reducing the system’s capacity to reorganize under external stress. The CRTI formalizes this balance through a dimensionless ratio between resonance (adaptive variety) and the combined pressures of compression (structural rigidity) and tension (external or internal stress). A dynamical formulation using coupled differential equations is proposed to describe how systems evolve toward stability, critical transition, or collapse. The paper introduces a hierarchical architecture of complex systems consisting of four empirical system classes: Technical systems and infrastructure (objects) Biological organisms (subjects) Organizations and economic institutions Political and social systems A fifth conceptual layer connects the model to non-equilibrium thermodynamics, interpreting complex systems as dissipative structures that maintain order by exporting entropy. The framework further proposes a diagnostic cascade of early warning signals preceding collapse: tinfo < tfunc < tstruct This sequence suggests that disturbances in information diversity and feedback structures precede functional breakdown and eventual structural failure. The CRTI is presented as a candidate cross-domain stability template that integrates ideas from cybernetics, resilience theory, information theory, and complexity science. The paper outlines a research program for empirical validation across multiple domains, including infrastructure networks, biological systems, organizations, and political institutions. Keywords complex systems complex adaptive systems system stability system collapse singularization hypothesis compression resonance tension index CRTI framework resilience theory cybernetics nonlinear dynamics dissipative structures early warning signals systemic fragility organizational resilience network science