In competitive systems, whether geopolitical, economic, technological, or memetic, a recurrent pattern emerges: actors willing or able to escalate tend to outperform those who restrain themselves. This article proposes a general principle to formalize that dynamic, examines its structural foundations, and discusses the fragility of mechanisms meant to suppress it.
1. The Escalation Dominance Principle (EDP)
I propose the following principle:
EDP: In competitive systems with tiered strategic options and positive escalation payoffs, the actor that escalates to the highest viable level tends to dominate actors who do not.
Definitions:
- Escalation: A move to a strategy that is more costly, risky, or resource-intensive than a prior one, but with potentially higher returns.
- Dominance: A persistent strategic advantage in terms of
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