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Project Management | Agile | Alice in Wonderland | Cheshire Cat | Strategy
Grinning Without a Head
The Cheshire cat fallacy in agile methods
The Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is famous for its mischievous grin that lingers long after the cat itself has vanished.
With a philosophical smirk that defies logic, this enigmatic character embodies the impossible: an effect without a cause, a smile without a face.
It’s this impossible image that philosopher Philip Pettit used to describe a profound intellectual trap: the Cheshire Cat fallacy is the idea that rights can exist without any corresponding obligations.
But cats *are* agile, aren’t they?
This “grin without a body” phenomenon can also creep into agile methodologies, potentially undermining the very principles that make them so effective.
Agile methods offer many benefits, such as flexibility, customer collaboration, and rapid iteration — but these outcomes can’t exist in isolation. They require a foundation of structure, accountability, and collaboration. Unfortunately, what began as a revolutionary approach to creating more responsive work environments has often been misinterpreted as a…
