The term “adjacent possible” was coined by theoretical biologist Stuart Kauffman. It describes all the opportunities that become available only after you take your next step.
Think of innovation as moving through a house where each room contains doors to rooms that didn’t exist until you entered the current one.
Examples:
- Before the invention of the smartphone, there was no possibility of building Uber or Instagram.
- Before CRISPR was discovered, thousands of genetic therapies weren’t even conceivable.
- Before learning Python, you can’t meaningfully build an AI application. After learning it, dozens of new paths appear.
The important insight is that you cannot see the fifth step from the first step. You can only see the next few doors.
Many people delay action because they’re trying to find the perfect long-term plan. But the adjacent possible suggests that the best strategy is often to make the next meaningful move, because it reveals opportunities that are currently invisible.
Evolution didn’t invent wings in one leap. Feathers likely evolved first for insulation, then display, then gliding, and only much later for powered flight. Each stage opened new possibilities that didn’t exist before.
Innovation in technology, science, and even careers & growth often follows the same pattern.
The adjacent possible reminds us that progress doesn’t require seeing the whole map. It requires taking the next step that expands the map.
