A tortoise, the Gömböc, System 3 and the Homogenization of Innovation
Why Cognitive Abundance Is Converging Strategy
We are no longer operating in a dual-process world.
For decades, decision theory assumed two systems:
System 1 — fast, intuitive.
System 2 — slow, deliberative.
Both lived inside the brain.
That assumption no longer holds.
We now reason inside a triadic architecture.
System 3 — external, artificial cognition.
Large language models, copilots, embedded AI agents. They do not merely assist thinking. They participate in it.
And that participation is restructuring innovation.
The Collapse of Cognitive Distance
Strategic differentiation once reflected cognitive asymmetry.
Some firms had better analysts.
Some had deeper research capacity.
Some tolerated slower, more disciplined reasoning.
System 2 capability varied.
System 3 flattens that variance.
Today, any team can:
Map competitors instantly
Generate positioning options on demand
Draft coherent business cases in minutes
Model scenarios with minimal friction
The marginal cost of structured analysis approaches zero.
Cognitive distance collapses.
When cognitive distance collapses, variance collapses.
Not because intelligence disappears.
Because everyone searches the same terrain with the same amplifier.
The Behavioral Shift: Cognitive Surrender
Tri-System Theory formalizes what this means. It introduces System 3 as an external cognitive agent and identifies a pattern called cognitive surrender .
Cognitive surrender is not strategic delegation. It is the adoption of AI outputs with minimal scrutiny, overriding both intuition and deliberation.
In controlled experiments:
Paid membership includes
Weekly deep-dive (paid-only)
Full archive
Comment access
Founding Decision Circle ($499/year, 10 seats) includes
1 structured decision submission per month
Written response within 5 working days
Priority queue
