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There is a theory (albeit unfalsifiable) that collections of communicating agents (such as human beings) may give rise to a higher order consciousness that the
by hliyan 7y ago
There is a theory (albeit unfalsifiable) that collections of communicating agents (such as human beings) may give rise to a higher order consciousness that the individual agents are not aware of, and therefore must necessarily interpret the 'will' of the higher order consciousness as merely 'emergent behavior'.
- 6510 7y agoCollectively we can easily see how stupid individuals can act but individuals can also easily see how stupid a collective can behave. I think besides that obvious lack of insights (both ways) the point where we collectively engage in acts that non of us would ever do proves it is no longer the same creature.
- dibujaron 7y agoEasy enough to see in practice, though. It's fun to think of corporations as larger organisms. They regularly fight each other, eat each other, get eaten by each other, die, and reproduce. Google acquiring a startup is not much different from a whale eating a shrimp. The same analogies can be made for countries and cities, too. It's also fun to think of yourself as a giant city of smaller organisms - you've got white blood cell cops, you've got red blood cells which are basically cars on arterial highways, you've got factories and garbage trucks and libraries.