Fractal Coherence and Collapse from Neurons to Nations: The Frame Regression Law Across Scales

This paper extends Intelligence Frame Theory (IFT) to explain why systems—from brains to civilizations—lose coherence under stress. Each intelligence frame (Biological, Cognitive, Generative) virtualizes selection from its parent substrate, operating at a faster tempo but drawing on the same energy base. When substrate energy (E_sub) can no longer sustain the selector’s refresh rate and cost (f_sigma × k_sigma), regulation collapses to the slower, more embodied frame beneath it. This Frame Regression Law predicts a universal pattern: impulsivity under intoxication, authoritarian regression in states, and war at global scale. Empirical proxies allow computation of a Coherence Stress Index (CSI) and cross-scale testing via neural, institutional, and geopolitical data. The model yields falsifiable predictions—variance-based early warnings and bandwidth-sensitivity of deterrence—and proposes resilience design through redundant selectors operating at multiple tempos. IFT reframes intelligence as the universe’s progressive virtualization of selection—and collapse as its temporary reversal.