Civilizational Black Holes: Structural Collapse in Saturated Socio-Economic Systems

This theoretical academic article introduces the concept of the “Civilizational Black Hole” to explain the systemic decline of socio-economic structures through the framework of Social Relativity Theory (SRT). It proposes that when a civilization accumulates excessive “structural mass” comprising debt burdens, institutional complexity and demographic inertia until reaching a saturation point, internal gravitational pressure intensifies to such a degree that the innovative capacity of the system can no longer generate pathways of escape or renewal. The article further develops the notion of a “Social Event Horizon,” referring to the threshold beyond which recovery through conventional mechanisms becomes structurally impossible. It identifies early structural warning signals and examines the roles of technology, individual agency and frame migration as transformative mechanisms in civilizational evolution. Historical examples from global contexts are integrated to demonstrate that structural collapse is rarely sudden; rather, it is a cumulative, long-term process that often leads to a relocation of civilizational centers. This study does not aim to predict the future. Instead, it offers a structural analytical framework capable of supporting continuous interpretation of socio-economic and civilizational transitions across diverse historical and contemporary contexts.