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Maybe a key distinction is collaboration vs. competition. The more collaboration between individual "units" (e.g. cells in a multicellular organism or organisms in an ecosystem) the more they behave like a single thing. Ant colonies are also a strong example.

by a115ltd5 hours ago|

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To an extent, yes. I'd say the difference is government systems. A single organism, or something like the human body, has more evolved, more sophisticated government mechanisms. The body is mostly a cooperative civilisation of cells. Of course, there's still natural competition among them, in many shapes and forms. The cells are held together in a coherent, agile, resilient organism by governance systems strong enough to keep internal Darwinism from becoming civil war.

by chongli2 hours ago|

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Collaboration and competition are simultaneous. Just look at humans working in an office!

by delusional5 hours ago|

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This isn't really a new thought. It's exactly what's meant by terms such as "circle of life" or "ecosystem". The separation of individual beings is entirely artificial, or if your being more charitable and technical, analytical and descriptive.

Science is not reality. We abstract reality to make nice and useful models. Reality violates our models constantly.

by 9dev4 hours ago|

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Didn’t claim it was. It’s just something difficult to really accept, at least to me, inhabiting a body that definitely feels very distinct from my environment.

by Jedd3 hours ago|

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Gaia theory - James Lovelock.

You find it difficult to accept, or is it just your brain that finds it difficult to accept?

by delusional2 hours ago|

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> Didn’t claim it was

I was afraid that would happen. My comment was really more aimed at being a comment to yours, than a reply. The fact that you're starting to "feel" this as being more true is not negated or impacted by it being an existing thought. Thoughts like this take time to settle into experienced truth, and i appreciate that. Had we been conversing that would have been a non-sequitur, and i would not have made it.

One of the problems with comment systems though is that we are at once conversing and broadcasting. The comment was more intended on being a broadcast than a direct reply to you, as a breadcrumb for anyone interested in the path you were taking to maybe seek it out in existing literature.

by andsoitis28 minutes ago|

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Comment system dynamics are partly to blame, but I would add that human nature incentivizes defensiveness.

Once one mostly outgrows it, things are much easier and less tense. Even if a discussion dynamic increases the probability for defensiveness.

Ego is the enemy.