The General Theory of Cohesion: A High School Guide

Table of Contents

  1. What is the General Theory of Cohesion?
  2. The Basic Building Blocks
  3. How Systems Form and Stay Together
  4. Energy: The Currency of Survival
  5. When Systems Meet
  6. Smart vs. Simple Systems
  7. Real-World Examples
  8. The Math Behind It All
  9. Why This Matters

1. What is the General Theory of Cohesion?

Imagine you're trying to understand what makes things stick together and survive. Not just physical things like atoms in a molecule, but also:

The General Theory of Cohesion (GTC) is like a universal instruction manual for understanding how ANY system stays together or falls apart. Created by Andrew Kemendo in 2025, it gives us one simple rule:

Every system survives by maintaining its boundary using energy.

Think of it like this: Everything that exists as a "thing" has to constantly work to stay that thing. Otherwise, it dissolves back into its surroundings.

2. The Basic Building Blocks

Components: The LEGO Pieces

Every system is made of smaller parts called components. These are like LEGO pieces that work together. Each component has:

The Boundary: Your System's Skin

The boundary is what separates your system from everything else. But here's the cool part: the boundary isn't just a wall - it's made of components that specialize in dealing with the outside world!

Think of it like a soccer team:

The Magic Formula

GTC measures whether a system will survive using a "cohesion score":

Cohesion = (Energy Coming In - Energy Costs) ÷ (Chaos and Uncertainty)

If this number is positive, the system survives. If it's negative, the system collapses.

3. How Systems Form and Stay Together

Birth of a System

Systems don't just appear - they emerge when components start working together:

  1. Random components meet: Like kids at recess
  2. They align their actions: Start playing the same game
  3. Some become boundary components: The kids who negotiate with other groups
  4. A system is born: Now you have a playground squad!

The Energy Gradient

Not all parts of a system use the same energy:

This creates an energy slope from the efficient interior to the expensive boundary.

4. Energy: The Currency of Survival

The Energy Loop

Every system runs on an energy cycle:

  1. Store energy from successful interactions
  2. Spend energy on:
  3. Get more energy through interactions
  4. Repeat or die

Types of Energy Costs

5. When Systems Meet

The Three Types of Interactions

  1. Mutual (Win-Win) 🤝
  2. Ablative (Win-Lose) ⚔️
  3. Ambivalent (Neutral) 😐

The Interaction Function (Ψ)

GTC uses Ψ (pronounced "sigh") to measure how systems affect each other:

6. Smart vs. Simple Systems

Simple Systems

Smart Systems

The Three Loops of Intelligence

Smart systems have three special abilities:

  1. Sensory Loop: "What's my current status?"
  2. Prediction Loop: "What might happen next?"
  3. Simulation Loop: "Which future should I choose?"

The Cost of Being Smart
Intelligence isn't free! The smarter a system tries to be, the more energy it uses. Sometimes being too smart can kill a system faster than being dumb!

7. Real-World Examples

Example 1: Grass vs. Asphalt

The Setup: A seed beneath a parking lot

Grass (Smart System):

Asphalt (Simple System):

The Result: Grass waits for the right conditions, then pushes through cracks. The asphalt can't adapt and breaks. Smart beats strong!

Example 2: Your Friend Group

Components: Each friend
Boundary: Inside jokes, shared activities, group chat
Energy: Time and attention
Threats: Drama, new interests, graduation

When the energy cost of maintaining friendships exceeds the fun you get back, the group dissolves.

Example 3: A Tech Startup

Phase 1: Everyone's aligned, burning through investor money
Phase 2: Product launches, customer energy flows in
Phase 3: Either sustainable (positive cohesion) or bust (negative cohesion)

8. The Math Behind It All

The Core Equation

Don't worry, we'll keep it simple! The cohesion of any system is:

γ = (Past Gains + Future Hopes - Current Costs) ÷ (Volatility)

Where:

Making Predictions

To predict if a system will survive:

  1. Calculate its current cohesion (γ)
  2. Simulate possible futures
  3. Choose actions that maximize future cohesion
  4. Repeat until the system dies or reaches stability

9. Why This Matters

For Technology

For Society

For You

The Big Picture

GTC shows us that everything in the universe follows the same pattern:

  1. Use energy to maintain boundaries
  2. Adapt or die
  3. Smart systems predict and plan
  4. But being too smart can be costly

Try It Yourself!

Quick Exercise: Analyze Your Study Group

  1. Identify components: Who's in the group?
  2. Find the boundary: What makes you a group?
  3. Track energy: What effort maintains the group?
  4. Measure alignment: Is everyone pulling together?
  5. Predict cohesion: Will the group last through finals?

Think About It

The General Theory of Cohesion gives us one framework to answer all these questions!

Summary

The General Theory of Cohesion teaches us that:

By understanding these principles, we can better navigate our world, build more resilient systems, and maybe even understand ourselves a little better.

🚀 Level Up: Measure Your Own Cohesion!

Ready for a challenge? Now that you understand how systems work, you can actually measure your own personal cohesion using the Coherence Matrix - a tool that applies these same GTC principles to measure how well your life "system" is holding together.

The Coherence Matrix evaluates your life across 10 dimensions, from basic survival needs to leaving a legacy. It's like a personal cohesion calculator that shows:

Try it out: Visit the Coherence Matrix Calculator

Note: This is more advanced and best for older students who are comfortable thinking about abstract life concepts.