Sphexishness

Sphexishness names rigid continuation of a routine despite a change that makes the routine ineffective. The term comes from a wasp anecdote, whose oversimplification Dennett explicitly qualifies.

A routine can work in its usual setting yet repeat unhelpfully when the setting changes. Sphexishness names that narrow inflexibility, making it useful to ask what event should interrupt or revise a sequence. Repetition alone is not the problem; repetition despite relevant evidence of failure is.

The famous wasp story is an oversimplified illustration, and Dennett explicitly notes variation in actual wasp behavior. Apply the label to a bounded process rather than a whole person's intelligence. Sometimes a stable routine is exactly what is needed; the design question is where adaptation, escalation, or stopping belongs.

When to use it

Use when repeated action reproduces the same failure and when a process needs a clear condition for adapting to changed circumstances.

How it can help

Identify the assumption a routine depends on and specify when evidence should trigger revision, escalation, or stopping.