A theory that reduces path dependence to history matters becomes a vacuous truism

Evidence

While we appreciate this insight, merely focusing on the fact of past dependence (Antonelli, 1999) implies taking a fairly broad view—too broad a theoretical perspective: if we base path dependence explanations on the history matters argument only, the notion is likely to become indistinct. All human activity and organizational processes are imprinted by their history in a way, so we would end up by concluding that all organizational decisions and actions are path dependent. Such a ubiquitous, all-embracing understanding of path dependence would bring us close to a truism. — Jörg Sydow, Georg Schreyögg, and Jochen Koch, Organizational Path Dependence, 12

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The same collapse-to-truism argument applies to almost any theory stretched too far—culture, power, institutions, evolution. It is a general criterion for what makes a concept explanatory.
• SEED: An essay angle: ‘The Truism Trap’—how explanatory concepts die by expanding until they explain everything.