This preprint presents a formal system-theoretic analysis of asymmetric control strategies in nonlinear dynamical systems exhibiting runaway behavior. Using a minimal deterministic model with local damping, discrete resets, and post-reset regulation, the study identifies a non-monotonic strategy frontier separating regimes in which continuous control suffices from regimes in which disruptive interventions become structurally unavoidable. The analysis shows that the emergence of asymmetric control regimes is governed by a single structural parameter quantifying runaway strength. Normative damage weighting and political reset costs influence only the quantitative extent of the frontier, not its qualitative existence. This yields a robust three-regime structure—benign, critical, and catastrophic—that appears generically across physical, technological, and societal systems. While conceptually inspired by the ancient Enki–Enlil duality, the framework is developed strictly within quantitative nonlinear dynamics and control theory. Cultural narratives are interpreted as compressed semantic encodings of universal control constraints, rather than as moral, symbolic, or historical claims. The work is formulated within the Space–Matter–Motion (RMB) framework and connects to prior RMB analyses of stabilization mechanisms in plasma and fluid systems. Numerical parameter sweeps, summary statistics, and full reproducibility specifications are provided. A minimal reproducibility package, including Python scripts and dependency requirements, is included as a ZIP attachment.
Davide Dellomonaco (Sun,) studied this question.