Concept · Miscellaneous Notable Frameworks
Cathedral and Bazaar
Origin: Eric Raymond (1997)
Biological Parallel
Raymond contrasted cathedral (centralized, planned) vs bazaar (decentralized, emergent) development. Biology exhibits both: cathedral = embryonic development (highly centralized, tightly controlled by Hox genes, sequential). Bazaar = ecosystem assembly (decentralized colonization, emergent community structure). Cathedral is faster and more coordinated initially but fragile to disruption. Bazaar is messy and slow but robust to perturbation. Evolution uses cathedrals for individuals, bazaars for communities. The architecture matches the stability of the environment.