First Law of Moral Proportion

1. Canonical Definition

The First Law of Moral Proportion is the foundational law of the Physics of Becoming.
It defines system legitimacy (L) as a proportional function of truth fidelity (T), signal alignment (P), structural coherence (C), and drift (D):

L = (T × P × C) / D

The Law identifies the structural conditions under which meaning remains operationally reliable as environments change.
In this model, drift (D) is the rate of accumulated contradiction created when stabilizing variables (T, P, C) lose proportionality under interpretive load. Once present, this rate exerts pressure on system stability and requires proportional correction to maintain reliability.

The First Law formalizes these relationships and provides the mathematical structure for interpreting system behavior.

2. Featured Lineage: Foundational Thinkers

Norbert Wiener — Cybernetics (1948)

Established that systems maintain stability through measurable relationships among information, signals, and correction. The First Law extends this by specifying the exact proportional conditions required for interpretive reliability.

John von Neumann —Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata (1966)

Showed that system viability depends on preserving structural invariants under increasing complexity. The First Law adapts this principle by defining legitimacy (L) as the proportional invariant governing meaning-system stability.

3. Plainly

The First Law explains when meaning remains consistent across a system and when it does not.

Meaning remains reliable when:

• information matches observable conditions (T),

• signals express the same underlying reality (P), and

• structure distributes interpretation consistently (C).

Reliability decreases when drift (D) increases faster than stabilizing variables can compensate.
The Law makes meaning-system behavior measurable and predictable.

4. Scientific Role in Meaning System Science

Within MSS, the First Law:

• formalizes the proportional relationships among T, P, C, and D,

• defines legitimacy (L) as a structural stability condition,

• provides the mathematical foundation of the Physics of Becoming, and

• unifies variable behavior across meaning-systems through a single proportional function.

It is the central equation governing interpretive stability.

5. Relationship to the Variables (T, P, C, D, A)

• T — Truth Fidelity: Establishes the system’s correspondence to reality.

• P — Signal Alignment: Expresses the same reality consistently across roles and channels.

• C — Structural Coherence: Distributes interpretation through reliable pathways.

• D — Drift: The rate at which contradiction accumulates when T, P, and C lose proportionality.

• A — Affective Regulation: Defines the system’s interpretive capacity and influences how quickly stabilizing variables can be adjusted.

The Law expresses how proportional relationships among these variables determine stability.

6. Relationship to the Physics of Becoming

The First Law is the primary formal result of the Physics of Becoming.
The Physics of Becoming defines the scientific field; the First Law provides its governing equation and stability function.

The Law is contained within the Physics of Becoming, not equivalent to it.

7. Application in Transformation Science

Transformation Science uses the First Law to analyze:

• proportional shifts in variable states,

• interpretive reliability across time,

• the rate at which drift increases relative to system capacity,

• when stabilizing variables no longer maintain viable proportions, and

• why systems reorganize when proportional stability cannot be sustained.

The Law provides the analytical basis for modeling meaning dynamics.

8. Application in Transformation Management

Practitioners use the Law to:

• evaluate proportional stability across workflows and decisions,

• determine whether drift exceeds correction capacity,

• assess whether truth, signals, and structure scale with interpretive demand, and

• guide adjustments that restore viable proportional states.

The Law defines the structural requirements for legitimate transformation.

9. Example Failure Modes

• Low T: Reality conditions are inconsistently represented.

• Low P: Signals do not express the same underlying truth conditions.

• Low C: Pathways cannot distribute interpretation reliably.

• High D: Contradiction increases faster than the system can correct.

10. Canonical Cross-References

Meaning System Science • Physics of Becoming • Proportionism • Transformation Science • Truth Fidelity (T) • Signal Alignment (P) • Structural Coherence (C) • Drift (D) • Affective Regulation (A) • Legitimacy (L)