Demonstrates a new economic view of family structure, showing its role in minimizing friction and maximizing value generation.
This paper applies V=N/D to the structure of human kinship, proposing that the family is not primarily a social or emotional institution, but an economic one: a system designed to minimize friction (D) while maximizing productive output (N), generating value (V) that no individual member could achieve alone. The paper identifies the ideal family as a complementary D-reduction system, examines the elder-child dyad as the most powerful V-generation structure in human kinship, and demonstrates that the degradation of family is always a D-maximization event. The family is civilization's smallest operational unit — and the place where all D-reduction infrastructure begins.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Yoshihikaru Katayama (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: