IS HUMAN SOCIETY BECOMING MORE LIKE THAT OF INSECTS?
Abstract
The similarities between human societies and those of termites and ants are enormous: life cycles, castes, offspring care, intergenerational mixing, complex cities, armies, agriculture, communications, social memory, social order, and degradation. The great difference is the individuality inherent to humans, assisted by consciousness and intelligence, and by feelings. Everything insects do is determined by evolution and genetically determined. Humans evolve more through the ability to think and through intraspecific competition. Both societies dominated their environment and can therefore be considered successful. However, there are indications that modern, global human society is increasingly resembling those of termites and ants due to three factors: (i) the growing limitations on individuality, that is, the homogenization of society based on policies and laws, religion, education, advertising and propaganda, and especially the use of the internet; (ii) the growing limitations on intelligence due to the proliferation of the class or caste of the "dupes" or indifferent, non-participating individuals or silent majority, and (iii) the advent of artificial intelligence, which reduces the proportion of "intelligent" individuals in society and concentrates the capacity to think and create in the hands of a few. It is concluded that, although the capacity for abstraction, intelligence, and perhaps feelings will always be maintained in humans, their future societies will increasingly resemble those of social insects, where everyone obeys without question and no one complains.
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