Bo, Horse and gang
> As to the question whether anthills and
> beehives are "societies" I think they belong to the interface
> between the social and biological level (there are such
> indeterminable areas between all levels, for instance between
> matter and life) and would like to call that kind of bio-societies
> "giants" rather than the human cohabitations. Animal flocks, fish
> schools and bee colonies etc. tend to take on the life of its own -
> like an organism.
I don't think there are such "indeterminable areas" between any levels.
It was some time ago I stressed this but Pirsig is very clear on this
discrete nature of the levels. It requires some thinking to come to terms
with it and fit it with your observations of reality, but it's worth it.
A beehive is a society (SocPOVs) in every respect, just as any Giant. Make
a comparison with the Victorian pre WWI European states. They sent their
soldiers to the trenches just like any beehive does when danger threatens.
The soldiers died mindlessly just as the bees, I'm sure the soldiers thought
a lot about what they were doing but they were trained not to. The Giant
had taught them to protect the Giant with their lives and they did.
Another very social aspect of beehives is the fact that it's still the
same beehive, no matter how many bees lives or dies, (almost). Just as
the Giant is still the same Giant no matter how many citizens, mayors
or schools get replaced.
To go back to Todd's original topic, I do feel a little bit like a red blood
cell in the city. I bring value to my company which is a part of the city, just
as a red blood cell brings value (O2) to a working muscle cell. And I certainly
feel the pulse! I get up every morning to go to work through rush hour, have you
seen a film of a city from above with a picture taken every fifteen minutes or so?
It's not hard at all to begin thinking about blood streams. And the sun is the
heart.
Magnus
MOQ.org - http://www.moq.org
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:03:21 BST