The Coherence Integrity Principle (CIP)
A boundary condition for legitimate interpretation under uncertainty
The Coherence Integrity Principle (CIP) is a foundational principle I developed to address a blind spot in decision-making under uncertainty.
Most analytical and predictive approaches implicitly assume that the system producing their inputs remains coherent enough to sustain meaning. That assumption is rarely stated and almost never tested.
CIP exists to make that assumption explicit.
CIP does not improve analysis, optimize decisions, or predict outcomes. It operates prior to all of those activities. Its sole function is to determine whether the conditions required for legitimate interpretation are still intact.
Core principle
Interpretation is only legitimate while coherence integrity can be reasonably established.
When coherence degrades, signals may persist and models may continue to function. Conclusions can remain logically correct while becoming irresponsible to act upon. CIP identifies that boundary.
Rather than encouraging action, CIP introduces restraint as a rational and ethical outcome. When coherence integrity cannot be established, abstention is not indecision. It is responsibility.
Domain scope
CIP is domain-agnostic. It applies wherever complex systems generate signals that guide interpretation and action, including finance, healthcare, crisis management, organizations, technology, and artificial intelligence.
About this page
This page presents the principle itself. Formal elaboration, positioning, and applications are provided in the official whitepapers and materials below.
Continue exploring
- Read the CIP pitch
- Download the whitepaper: Coherence Integrity Principle (CIP)
- Explore Relational Systems Theory (RST)
Explore RST
License: Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
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Attribution:
“Coherence Integrity Principle (CIP) by M.C.M. van Kroonenburgh, MSc (2025).”