Why do civilizations collapse, and under what conditions can they repair themselves before systemic breakdown occurs? This paper develops an integrated framework for analyzing civilizational stability by examining the dynamic interactions among ecological systems, institutional governance, cultural narratives, political power, and information environments. Building upon the original violence–viability architecture, the analysis expands the model to incorporate biological stress transmission, political economy constraints, temporal lag dynamics, and historical pathways of institutional transformation. The framework proposes that societies remain stable within a “viability corridor” when life-ground integrity, institutional capacity, and cultural orientation remain mutually reinforcing. When these domains become misaligned — through ecological degradation, institutional capture, or polarized narratives — cascading fragility may emerge, increasing the likelihood of systemic conflict and collapse. However, historical evidence demonstrates that societies can occasionally interrupt these trajectories through institutional redesign, expansion of civil commons institutions, and new forms of cooperative governance. By synthesizing insights from peace research, ecological economics, complexity theory, neuroscience, and political economy, the violence–viability framework offers both a conceptual map and a practical diagnostic tool for assessing civilizational resilience in an era of intensifying ecological and geopolitical pressures.
