Reality Alignment Theory (RAT): A Canonical Framework for Integrity, Stability, and Alignment Across Scales

Reality Alignment Theory (RAT) is a falsifiable, cross-scale framework for diagnosing integrity, stability, and failure modes in humans, artificial systems, organizations, and civilizations. RAT formalizes the structural cost of misalignment between what a system is (Nature, N) and what it claims or performs (Representation, R). Persistent gaps (G = R − N) accumulate thermodynamic load until a discontinuous failure (“Snap”) becomes inevitable. This canonical whitepaper consolidates: The full mathematical core of RAT Time-dependent dynamics (capacity decay, drift, cumulative integrity debt) The Snap and Dual Snap failure modes The Resonance metric and Integrity Zones The Triadic Laws of Reality Alignment across scales The relationship between RAT (diagnostics) and Reality-Aligned Intelligence (RAI) (engineering) The framework is explicitly grounded in: Empirical forensic analysis of AI interaction logs documenting relational drift and hallucination escalation, as detailed in The EMA Casebook (Bellens, 2025, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17724016) The original formulation of Ontological Honesty, first published on November 18, 2025 (Ontological Honesty, Ontological Integrity Line, and Integrity Zones, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17635950) RAT is non-normative and non-ideological. Truth is treated not as a moral virtue, but as a minimum-energy state. Alignment is not ethics, but structural efficiency.