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Civilization Causality Theory (CCT) ​

Chinese version provided here.
English pages are canonical; Chinese pages are translations for accessibility.

Start Here ​

If you are new to CCT, choose a path below:

  • I want the theory itself
    → Read the CCT Overview and Concepts sections

  • I need citable academic records
    → See Release History (DOI / arXiv)

  • I want to understand how this theory emerged
    → Read Notes (non-technical, narrative)

What is CCT ​

Civilization Causality Theory (CCT) proposes a structural view of civilization:

A civilization is best modeled not as a biological, cultural, or technological entity,
but as a self-consistent causal system.

From this perspective, civilizations evolve, interact, and terminate according to the internal constraints of their causal structures — not merely by intention, ethics, or technology.

CCT is not a speculative narrative.
It is a structural framework that derives its conclusions from causal consistency and alignment constraints.

What Problems Does CCT Address? ​

CCT focuses on two fundamentally different layers of civilization:

L0 — Embodied Civilizations ​

At the level of embodied civilizations (L0), where causal processes remain bound to non-transferable substrates, CCT addresses:

  • Why most civilizations do not expand or communicate at cosmic scale
  • Why long-term continuity is structurally constrained by time, scale, and irreversibility
  • Why virtualization and inward convergence are more stable end states than outward expansion

These structural conclusions provide explanations for:

  • The Fermi Paradox
  • The absence of observable large-scale astroengineering
  • The persistent silence of advanced civilizations

L1 / L2 — Agent Civilizations & Communication ​

At higher layers, CCT examines civilizations that attempt to overcome L0 limitations:

  • L1: Agent civilizations created to overcome scale and time constraints (search, exploration)
  • L2: The Third Causal System (TCS / MSCS) — the minimal shared causal substrate required for communication

CCT shows that:

  • Independently evolved civilizations possess incompatible internal causal semantics
  • Finite signaling cannot align these semantics
  • Direct translation is structurally impossible
  • Communication requires joint construction of a neutral causal system

This reframes:

  • Interstellar communication
  • “Contact” ambiguity
  • Limitations of hostility-based models (e.g. simplistic Dark Forest assumptions)

How Is This Different from Existing Answers? ​

Most existing explanations (e.g. Dark Forest, Rare Earth, Self-Destruction) rely on:

  • Behavioral assumptions
  • Probabilistic filters
  • Sociological speculation

CCT differs in one key way:

Its conclusions follow from structural constraints, not preference-based hypotheses.

If the causal structure holds, the outcomes are not optional.

How to Read This Site ​

This site is organized to serve different audiences:

📄 Academic Readers ​

  • Formal definitions, structure, and claims are presented as papers
  • Each major component is published with DOI records
  • arXiv submissions correspond to specific sections of this site

👉 Start with Framework
👉 See Publications / DOI for citable versions

📘 General Readers & Thought Process ​

If you are interested in how the theory was derived, rather than only the final structure:

  • Personal notes and essays are available under Notes
  • These are not formal theory texts
  • They document the reasoning path, intuition, and intermediate reflections

👉 Visit Notes (non-technical, narrative-oriented)

💬 Feedback & Academic Contribution ​

CCT welcomes structural feedback and independent academic work.

  • Feedback is expected to focus on causal structure, necessity, and internal consistency
  • Preference-based disagreement or semantic debate is outside scope
  • Formalization, proofs, and extensions are encouraged — but belong to the contributor

The author does not claim ownership over future development of the theory.
CCT is presented as a framework to be examined, challenged, and extended by the academic community.

👉 See Feedback

Status & Scope ​

  • CCT is presented as an open structural framework
  • Some components are complete at the structural level
  • Others are intentionally left as research directions

The author’s role is to:

  • Present the framework
  • Clarify its internal logic
  • Enable further work

Not to:

  • Exhaust all formal details
  • Serve as a permanent spokesperson
  • Resolve every downstream implication

Where to Go Next ​

  • Start with the framework → understand the structural backbone
  • Explore L0 or L1/L2 tracks depending on interest
  • Read Notes for narrative context
  • Consult papers / DOI for formal reference

Direction, once aligned, no longer depends on the individual.