In the following, we introduce a metaphor from philosophy and apply it in two places where it fits: software, and capitalism. The ideas are simple and useful day-to-day in the software business, but also revealing when thinking about where society is headed.
Daniel Dennett (1942–2024) was a philosopher and cognitive scientist known for his work on evolution, consciousness, and complex systems. He spent much of his career as a professor at Tufts University and authored several influential books, including Darwin’s Dangerous Idea and Consciousness Explained. His central interest was how sophisticated structures—minds, morality, intelligence—could emerge from simple, mindless processes. He described this using the metaphor of the arch: a structure that can’t stand until all its pieces are in place, but which can be built gradually using temporary supports that disappear once the arch holds. Another is the crane: a working mechanism that enables upward construction by lifting new layers into place—often by building itself in the process. These metaphors explain how complexity accumulates without needing to be imposed from above.
This is how software is often built—especially in the kinds of systems found in early-stage, venture-backed startups developing new technology under real uncertainty. The process doesn’t begin with a polished product or a finished abstraction. It begins with an algorithm and a datastore—something minimal that proves a concept and does something useful. Systems built in this context often make tradeoffs around scalability, durability, generality. These compromises aren’t mistakes. You can’t future-proof. You build what works. You also build what fits the moment—what’s wanted, needed, possible. Sometimes you have to experiment. Sometimes you don’t know what the structure will become until you’ve started to assemble it. The arch holds even if the destination moves. The crane lifts what comes after. Often, the real value of the early system is that it gives you leverage to replace it.
Capitalism has played both roles. As a crane, it lifted production, trade, and infrastructure into global scope—coordinating work, allocating resources, scaling innovation. As an arch, it provided the temporary structure beneath a more complex civilization—one built on data, networks, computation, and feedback. It held while newer systems took form. But that structure is now being surpassed. AI systems are beginning to coordinate action, allocate effort, and direct attention without relying on markets, prices, or firms. These systems remember, reason, and adapt in context. They don’t need to simulate scarcity to function—they can track flows directly. This isn’t a political claim. It’s a technical transition, already underway. The opportunity now is to put these tools to work on our own terms—so that what comes next reflects the values and structures in which we want to live.
