Dear Douglas Singelton
You found a good analogy between path integrals and diversity, which is necessary in selection of good ideas. Another analogy are also neuronal networks. You also included the Black Swan theory. The first condition is that there is a lot of ideas. Capitalism and free market are also more successful than socialism because this diversity is allowed. Non-diversity was also one of the causes for the last financial crisis.
But we need also large scale planning or state initiative. Military research, for instance, gave that the internet arose. Similar diversity in needed also for publication of scientific papers, but here it is almost embargo for papers which are not from universities. It is written by Gibbs. This is analogically as free market embargo. Your formula for relations between energy and civilisations is also in connection with the paper, which try to find explanation, how life evolved. He claims that more developed life forms use more energy and so they are increasing entropy. I claim that mammals use more energy than lizards. Even today more developed cultures use more energy and causes more pollution (entropy). But, I think that computer technology reduces entropy, a little.
Best regards
Janko Kokosar