Lexicon: Homo Faber

The Etymology

Latin for "Man the Maker." While biology classifies us as Homo Sapiens ("Man the Wise"), Henri Bergson (and later Hannah Arendt) argued this is arrogant. We are primarily Homo Faber, beings defined by our ability to make tools.

The Definition

Bergson argues that the human intellect did not evolve to "know the truth." It evolved to act on matter.

• To eat, we need to cut (separation).
• To build, we need to stack (geometry).
• To communicate, we need words (labels).

Therefore, our natural way of thinking is Solid, Spatial, and Discontinuous. We treat everything like a solid object, even fluid things like Time, Love, or Society. We try to "fix" a culture problem the same way we fix a broken car: by taking it apart and replacing the "broken part." But culture is a fluid, not a solid. This is why Homo Faber is a genius at Engineering but often an idiot at Management.

The Corporate Application

The modern corporation is the cathedral of Homo Faber.

• The Org Chart: Tries to turn fluid human relationships into solid, geometric boxes.
• The Project Plan: Tries to turn the flow of time into rigid blocks.

The "Mechanistic" Mistake: When a team is failing, Homo Faber asks: "Which process is broken? Which tool do we need?" The Chief Wise Officer realizes that the team is not a machine; it is an organism. You cannot "fix" it with tools; you must heal it with flow (Communication, Trust, Momentum). Stop treating your company like a factory of solids. Start treating it like a river of energy.