By Brian Kvenvolden

Ants are not the deft little erectors, foragers, and soldiers people think they are. Actually they are quite inept at all of the skills people laud over them. Ants are not clever and quick, but ant colonies are.

Ant colonies solve problems that would be impossible for an individual ant to solve. Finding the most expeditious route to local food sources, the allocation of assignments to members of the colony, building structures, and defending territory from invaders are impossible tasks for an individual ant. While the individual may mishandle a situation, the colony remains responsive to its environment, making quick and effective decisions by using what is referred to as “emergent complexity.”

Emergent Complexity answers questions arising in nature, such as: How do the facile actions of individuals accumulate to form the complex behavior of groups? How do large numbers of animals make a critical decision, when many of them disagree? What empowers animals to coordinate their movements in precise, fleet and trenchant movements so as to act like a singular organism? This collective ability of each animal to contribute to the big picture without grasping what the big picture is, may have the appearance of the supernatural, until we start to unravel exactly how it is done.

The secret to emergence is that no particular animal is in charge. No foreman directs the ants where to build. No general orders ants where or when to fight. No ant may dominate another. The queen cannot tyrannize or domineer; her only purpose is to continue the species by laying eggs. Colonies having populations reaching 750,000 are not unheard of, but they function perfectly well with no form of direct internal management. With no one to dominate them, the ants rely upon thousands of interactions in decision-making; each ant must follow a set of simple rules. No one ant decides when, what, or how a task is to be done, the colony act collectively. Ants truly use the motto, “e pluribus Unum,” out of many one.

Emergence complexity works because each individual follows a set of simple rules, each member acting on the information provided by the surrounding environment. No member sees the big picture. No one member can give an order to another. No member pressures the other to conform. All members identify all possibilities; cogitate on the issue and vote. This allows the best ideas to percolate to the forefront and win.

This decentralized control, response to ones environment, and ability to follow simple rules are the key to emergence and the key to anarchism as well. Anarchism is a political theory opposed to all forms of government. Anarchists believe that the highest attainment of humanity is the freedom of individuals to express themselves unaffected by any form of repression or control from without. They hold that decisions are best made by independent minded people competing with others to form the most effective idea. Anarchism also makes use of simple rules like: the ban on harming other human beings, and the right of the collective to confront those that harm and limit their ability to harm. Humans are not accustomed to solving problems in a decentralized way. History has taught us that, oppression is natural. This is one reason that anarchism has remained on the periphery of political theory.

Some political groups are incorporating emergence like tactics to form an “intelligent mass,” by using the global electronic network. Groups participating in direct action can now be instantly aware of police movements. This allows them to disperse and coalesce much like a school of fish being attacked by a predator, or they can swarm spontaneously to disrupt the elite. This changes what was a disorganized mob into a well-organized intelligent mass.

There are also groups that are using emergence in decision-making processes. By having large group discussions, exchanging ideas and opinions, so that every member have their say, and voting by secret ballots, the best ideas gain prominence. This procedures similar to decision making techniques in the animal world. Analogous to when species are seeking out new living accommodations or foraging for food.

Today people have the ability to think together unavoice and form intelligent mass in unbelievable ways. No single person has the panacea for societies ills, but collectively groups can solve problems impossible for the individual. Groups tend to act rationally only when individuals make responsible decisions. A group cannot think rationally if members parrot the actions and styles of other members of the group, or wait for orders from someone they feel is in a better position to make a decision. Groups only act rationally when each member does their part. When deciding to eat vegan or not, riding a bicycle instead of driving a car, or deciding whether or not to shop at a big box store, your actions matter even if you can’t see the big picture.

The individual ant cannot see this big picture any more than the rest of us humans see it. No individual can know just what society needs at any given moment, but you can take your cues from your environment; you can pick up the trash around you, volunteer where you see a need, help fix all the things that you see broken. If you want a better world, you could do worse than having ants as role models.

Via Infoshop

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