Moral Physics

Definition

Moral Physics is the physics branch of Meaning System Science. It models how legitimacy and coherence behave under pressure by treating meaning as a proportional, thermodynamic system. Moral Physics uses formal variables and equations to describe how truth, power, coherence, drift, and affect interact, making legitimacy measurable rather than intuitive.

Core Focus

Where Meaning System Science describes the full structure of meaning, Moral Physics focuses on the lawlike behavior of that structure. It asks questions such as:

• What happens to legitimacy when truth is known but power does not respond?

• How quickly does meaning degrade when drift accelerates?

• Under what conditions does coherence become self-sustaining rather than fragile?

To answer these, Moral Physics defines quantitative relationships between forces inside a meaning system.

The First Law of Moral Proportion

At the center of Moral Physics is the First Law of Moral Proportion, often expressed as the Legitimacy Equation:

L = (T × P × C) ÷ D

Where:

• T = Truth Integrity (truth fidelity)

• P = Power Alignment (how authority responds to truth)

• C = Coherence Coefficient (structural coherence)

• D = Drift Index (pressure and entropy acting on the system)

• L = Legitimacy (the stability and reliability of the meaning structure)

The law states that legitimacy increases when truth, power, and coherence move in proportion, and collapses when drift outgrows them.

Relation to Meaning System Science

Meaning System Science defines the full architecture of meaning: truth fidelity, signal behavior, structural coherence, thermodynamic drift, and affective regulation. Moral Physics is the branch that formalizes these into variables, laws, and diagnostic models. It takes the qualitative insights of Meaning System Science and expresses them in measurable, testable relationships.

Relation to Transformation Science and Transformation Management

Transformation Science applies Meaning System Science and Moral Physics to real systems under change. Moral Physics explains why certain transformations remain legitimate while others quietly lose trust. Transformation Management then uses this understanding in practice, guiding leaders to make decisions that conserve legitimacy rather than burn it.

Applications

Moral Physics underpins:

• the Legitimacy Equation and legitimacy scoring

• the Legitimacy Diagnostic Protocol (LDP-1.0)

• assessment of drift in governance and operating models

• evaluation of whether systems are over-leveraging power relative to truth

• analysis of AI-accelerated environments where signals outpace interpretation

By making legitimacy and drift measurable, Moral Physics allows leaders and practitioners to see structural risk before it becomes visible as burnout, disengagement, or collapse.