Carbon is not silicon

[Dave Snowden]

• Humans are carbon-based, embodied beings—not silicon processors
  • Tendency to treat humans as machines
  • Human cognition, decision-making, and knowledge are embodied, social, and narrative-driven—fundamentally different from computational processes

Core Arguments

• Rejecting the Machine Metaphor
  • 20th century management often assumes humans are “limited capacity information processors,” akin to computers
  • This is a disaster for organizational theory, because humans excel at things computers do poorly (e.g., adapting to novelty, embodied judgment)

• Systems Thinking & its Limits
  • Earlier traditions (cybernetics, systems dynamics, business process reengineering) tried to engineer organizations like machines
  • This led to dehumanization, cult-like conformity around “purpose, vision, and goals,” and endless cycles of failed change programs

• Knowledge & Embodiment
  • Human knowledge is embodied and enacted:
    • London taxi drivers’ enlarged hippocampus after years of “The Knowledge” training shows cognition evolves with physical practice.
    • Medieval apprenticeships and craft halls highlight the role of ritual, physicality, and social learning
  • Tools and narratives shape cognition, extending consciousness beyond the individual

• Decision-Making Principles (Naturalising SenseMaking):
  • Humans make decisions based on partial data scans, blending memories into “first-fit” pattern matches
  • Objectivity is rare; we often form conclusions first, then seek supporting evidence
  • Consciousness is embodied, social, and enacted, not abstract or programmable

• Narrative & Social Context
  • Shared stories constrain belief and behaviour, shaping collective sense-making
  • Narrative landscapes are critical for understanding organizational dynamics and resilience

• Corporate Practices
  • Codification-heavy knowledge management, HR typologies (like Myers-Briggs), and “purpose-driven” programs are seen as misguided attempts to engineer people
  • Inspirational leadership and motivational speaking often reduce to platitudes, ignoring complexity