Universal Meta-Stability in Complex Systems: Cross-Scale Principles of Persistence

This paper introduces Universal Meta-Stability, a cross-scale framework describing the persistence of complex subsystems across physical, biological, cognitive, and social domains. The framework is formalized through three axioms: Structural Integrity, Balance, and Feedback Coherence. Using computational hypergraph models inspired by the Wolfram Physics Project, we demonstrate how meta-stability conditions predict subsystem persistence or collapse. Human decision-making is modeled as a locally irreducible lawful subsystem evolution, consistent with computational irreducibility, providing a scientifically grounded reinterpretation of free will. Applications to governance, economic, and ecological systems illustrate the predictive power of the framework. Quantitative indices for stability and balance deviation allow empirical validation, making the theory testable and applicable to both simulation and AI-assisted modeling.