The Exponential Underneath: A Single Mechanism for Cognitive, Ecological, and Social Devouring
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: A preprint describing two agent-based models — one of overt competition, one of sycophantic erosion — that converge on a single mechanism: once positive feedback crosses a critical threshold, the system runs away exponentially toward a state from which recovery is impossible. Restraint, the only counterforce, cannot be learned by any single agent, only by cross-generational evolution.
Author: Wang, Liyan
Institution: Shanghai Maritime University
Language: English
Topic: Complex Systems and Dynamics
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225658578
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