First Who, Then What

Biological Parallel

Ant colonies invest heavily in larval sorting—workers assess each larva's developmental trajectory through chemical signatures and feeding responses, then allocate them to castes (soldier, forager, nurse) before tasks are assigned. The colony determines WHO each ant will become before deciding WHAT the swarm will do with available resources. This sequencing prevents the fatal error of designing a strategy around current workers when the colony's capabilities can be shaped through development. Collins identified the same principle: composition precedes direction.