Below is an initial lexicon of terms commonly used in regenerative, systemic, and architectural thinking.

Last updated: November 2025

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A

Agency

The capacity of an individual or system to act according to its own internal logic rather than external coercion.

Architecture

The underlying blueprint—structural, psychological, relational, or economic—that determines behavior.

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C

Collapse Point

The moment a system becomes unsustainable and transitions into failure, chaos, or reconfiguration.

Constraint

A limiting factor that shapes the behavior of a system; can be supportive (structural) or destructive (restrictive).

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E

Extraction

Systems, behaviors, or structures that remove more value than they contribute.

Ecosystem

A network of interconnected entities whose interactions create emergent outcomes.

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F

Feedback Loop

A cyclical process where an output becomes a new input, reinforcing or diminishing behavior.

Flow Architecture

The design of how information, resources, emotion, or energy move through a system.

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H

Human Dignity Infrastructure

Structures that protect agency, safety, autonomy, and worth inside systems.

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I

Integration

The process of moving a system from fragmentation to coherence; combining parts into a functional whole.

Interference Pattern

When two systems interact in a way that distorts or destabilizes each other.

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P

Pattern Recognition

Identifying repeating structures, dynamics, or behaviors across time and scale.

Power Gradient

The distribution of power within a system and the direction it flows.

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R

Regeneration

The process of restoring, renewing, or elevating a system so it becomes stronger over time.

Root-Cause Layer

The deepest structural level where a problem originates.

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S

System

A set of interacting components whose combined behavior creates outcomes that cannot be understood by individual parts alone.

System Boundary

The edge of what is included in an analysis; defines what influences the system.

Systemic Gravity

The pull exerted by existing structures, norms, or dynamics that makes change difficult.

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T

Trajectory

The direction a system is moving based on its current structure, incentives, and feedback loops.

Threshold

A tipping point where small changes produce large shifts.