Domains of Application
in CDT
CDT is a domain-general theory. These domains show where drift, correction, coherence, and fragmentation can be studied through the same conceptual lens.
Why Domains Matter
CDT is not a theory of one field. It is a theory of a recurring pattern.
The claim of CDT is not that every domain is identical. It is that many adaptive systems face the same structural problem: they drift, they correct unevenly, and they either preserve or lose directional continuity over time.
The domains below matter because they show where the same theoretical lens can travel without changing its core concepts.
Eight Domains
Biological
Homeostasis, immune regulation, circadian rhythms
Living systems must regulate deviation continuously to remain viable.
Cognitive
Attention, executive control, belief updating
Minds drift under noise, fatigue, distraction, and competing salience.
Collective
Teams, organizational culture, institutional norms
Groups lose coherence through translation failures, incentives, and propagation delays.
Ecological
Ecosystem stability, trophic cascades, regime shifts
Ecologies preserve or lose directional continuity through coupled feedback and disturbance.
Technological
Distributed systems, consensus protocols, error correction
Technical systems depend on detection, correction, and propagation to maintain stable operation.
Psychological
Self-regulation, habit formation, identity maintenance
Internal coherence depends on repeated correction rather than static control.
Relational
Couples, attachment patterns, recurring interaction loops
Relationships drift through unresolved deviations and maintain coherence through repair.
Economic
Markets, instability cycles, institutional coordination
Economic systems accumulate fragility and require distributed correction to avoid fragmentation.
What Travels Across Domains
Drift
Different domains drift differently, but all can deviate from coherent direction under accumulated perturbation.
Correction
Each domain has its own correction mechanisms, but the general problem of detection, regulation, return, and reintegration remains.
Propagation
In coupled systems, coherence and drift both spread. The competition between them is not domain-specific.
Regime transition
When a regime becomes untenable, systems must either reorganize coherently or fragment under the strain.