EPISTEMOLOGICAL SYNTHESIS NOTE The Structural Unity of the PEG Theory: From the Meta-Evolution of Complex Systems to the SAT and CEAF Models

Abstract

This epistemological synthesis note formalizes the structural and conceptual unity of an interdisciplinary research program driven by the Evolutionary Potential Gradient (PEG) framework. Addressing the limitations of static or purely kinetic analyses of change, this text delivers the core epistemological thread linking the macro-systemic PEG theory to two distinct sectoral applications: the SAT model (Sustainability Transition Autonomization Threshold) applied to climate decarbonization policies, and the CEAF model (Formal Artisanal Mining Cooperatives) applied to the institutional economics of mining informality in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This document provides the scientific community with a unified blueprint and a transposable methodology to model and quantify the capacity of complex open systems to transform their own future transformation potential when persisting against entropy. Keywords : Evolutionary Potential Gradient (PEG); Evolvability; Complex systems; Synthesis note; SAT framework; CEAF model; Institutional economics; Interdisciplinary research.