✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Minimum Viable Superorganism

ribbonfarm.com · 4,724 words · saved by 1 readers

Of all the remarkable things about our species — and there are many — perhaps the most striking of all is our ability to band together and act as a united, coherent superorganism. E pluribus unum. From many, one. A few superorganisms in action. (Top: human towers of Tarragona, fire department, NASA. Bottom: Amish community, rowing team, ISIS.) I don’t mean anything particularly high-minded by “superorganism.” It’s just a fun way to refer to a cooperative enterprise. Co-, together + operari, work. Acting in concert. Coordinating individual behavior in pursuit of shared goals. Superorganisms, in this sense, include such mundane arrangements as law firms, soccer teams, city governments, and party planning committees. In fact, most of the groups we care about are superorganisms. A mere crowd, on the other hand, isn’t a superorganism. It’s just every man for himself — all pluribus, no unum. If an alien film crew chose to feature our species in a nature documentary, they’d have plenty of spe

Highlights Tour This post is part of the highlights tour, a series of historically significant ribbonfarm posts Of all the remarkable things about our species — and there are many — perhaps the most striking of all is our ability to band together and act as a united, coherent superorganism. E pluribus unum . From many, one. Discuss with vgr_zirp → A few superorganisms in action. (Top: human towers of Tarragona, fire department, NASA. Bottom: Amish community, rowing team, ISIS.) I don't mean anything particularly high-minded by "superorganism." It's just a fun way to refer to a cooperative ente

Explore this link on the map →

saved by

related reading