  In this essay we introduce a theoretical framework designed to describe black
hole dynamics. The difficulties in understanding such dynamics stems from the
proliferation of scales involved when one attempts to simultaneously describe
all of the relevant dynamical degrees of freedom. These range from the modes
that describe the black hole horizon, which are responsible for dissipative
effects, to the long wavelength gravitational radiation that drains mechanical
energy from macroscopic black hole bound states. We approach the problem from a
Wilsonian point of view, by building a tower of theories of gravity each of
which is valid at different scales. The methodology leads to multiple new
results in diverse topics including phase transitions of Kaluza-Klein black
holes and the interactions of spinning black hole in non-relativistic orbits.
Moreover, our methods tie together speculative ideas regarding dualities for
black hole horizons to real physical measurements in gravitational wave
detectors.
