> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cultural-physics.gitbook.io/n/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cultural-physics.gitbook.io/n/cultural-physics-wiki/core-premise-and-governing-laws.md).

# Core Premise and Governing Laws

Before we get into tools or tactics, we have to ground in what this is. Cultural Physics isn’t a metaphor, a lens, or a branding idea. It’s a structural field—the attempt to describe, with precision, how culture moves through people. Not just in concept, but in motion. It starts with a simple premise:

**Culture is shared perception over time.**<br>