From individuals and families to state: The biosystems logic of authoritarian resilience

Traditional political science frameworks frequently neglect the biological and systems-level substrates that enable authoritarian regimes to maintain long-term stability despite structural inefficiencies. This study develops a a conceptual biosocial framework integrating evolutionary biology, neurophysiology, and bioeconomics to conceptualize authoritarian resilience as an emergent property of multi-level selection processes. In particular, the analysis identifies a dual feedback architecture consisting of (i) the activation of dominance-based heuristics rooted in ancestral environments and (ii) the induction of population-wide learned helplessness as an energy-minimization strategy. Drawing on recent advances in neuroscience, these processes are linked to measurable alterations in stress physiology and executive neural function. In contemporary contexts, the expansion of digital surveillance infrastructures further automates compliance while potentially amplifying chronic stress through conditions of algorithmic vulnerability. Importantly, the framework is extended through incorporation of historical and evolutionary dynamics of large-scale cooperation, as described in ultrasociality theory, emphasizing the role of cultural group selection and intergroup competition in shaping hierarchical institutions. Authoritarianism is therefore interpreted not merely as a political configuration but as a biosocial equilibrium state that prioritizes short-term systemic efficiency over long-term adaptive capacity. Designing resilient institutions requires explicit consideration of these evolutionary and physiological constraints.