The Law of Coherence - A Universal Law

This paper proposes that coherence, the degree of internal alignment within a system, functions as a governing principle determining the reliability of outcomes across physical, biological, cognitive, and organisational domains. While coherence has been rigorously studied within specific disciplines (physics, thermodynamics, art, neuroscience, systems theory), it has not been formalised as a universal operational law applicable to human decision-making systems. We synthesised evidence from multiple fields to articulate the Law of Coherence: the degree of internal alignment within any system determines the reliability of its outcomes and sustained existence. We demonstrate that system failures across domains share a common structure. Incoherence between intent, structure, and execution, and propose that making coherence measurable and improvable represents a fundamental advance in how we understand and design complex systems.