I won't compare ants and people, but ants give us a useful model of how single members of a community can become so organized that they end up resembling, in effect, one big collective brain. Our own exploding population and communication technology are leading us that way.

In this quote, Lewis Thomas reflects on the remarkable organization and coordination within ant colonies, suggesting that ants offer a valuable model for understanding how individual members of a community can work together as part of a larger, highly organized system. While he does not directly compare ants to humans, Thomas draws a parallel between the collective intelligence of ants and the potential for human societies to function in a similar way, particularly with the rise of communication technology and the rapid growth of the global population.

Thomas highlights the idea that ants, despite being small, act in unison with such efficiency that they seem to function as a single, collective brain. Each individual ant performs specific tasks, but collectively, they achieve complex goals, from building intricate nests to organizing food collection. Thomas suggests that as human populations continue to grow and technology advances, we may also develop systems of organization and communication that allow us to operate with a similar sense of collective intelligence, although on a much larger scale.

The mention of communication technology alludes to the way modern technology, such as the internet and social media, connects individuals across vast distances. These technologies allow people to share information quickly and collaborate on a global scale, mirroring the way ants communicate and organize within their colonies. Thomas suggests that, like ants, our growing interconnectedness through technology could lead to a world where individual actions become part of a broader, more efficient collective effort.

Thomas’s quote ultimately explores the idea of how human societies might evolve through our increasing reliance on technology, pointing out that our exploding population and technological advances are pushing us toward more coordinated, systemized ways of working together. His reflection encourages us to consider the potential benefits and challenges of this growing interdependence and to think about how we can harness the power of collective organization while maintaining individual autonomy.