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> Emergent behaviors like this suggest to me that maybe the ant colony itself is more of an independent organism than any individual ant. That’s Aunt Hillary f
by fipar 5y ago
> Emergent behaviors like this suggest to me that maybe the ant colony itself is more of an independent organism than any individual ant.
That’s Aunt Hillary from Gödel, Escher, Bach :)
I forget the specific line, but at some point Achilles asks the Anteater if it hurts the Colony when he eats some ants, and the response is along the lines of “Does it hurt Achilles when he gets a haircut?”
- bnegreve 5y agoFound it:) Anteater: [...] I am on the best of terms with ant colonies. It's just ANTS that I eat, not colonies--and that is good for both parties: me, and the colony. Achilles: How is it possible that-- Tortoise: How is it possible that-- Achilles: --having its ants eaten can do an ant colony any good? Crab: How is it possible that-- Tortoise: --having a forest fire can do a forest any good? Anteater: How is it possible that-- Crab: --having its branches pruned can do a tree any good? Anteater: --having a haircut can do Achilles any good?
- egypturnash 5y agoIs this dialogue based on the pattern of repeating themes in a Bach piece? I should try reading that again, I last read it when I was like eight.