polilogues

Question: You identify both individual evolution and social evolution. Is this correct?

 

De Loof: Yes, but there are colonies too. Well, as far as social compartmentalisation is concerned, we humans always think that we are the most advanced social beings on earth. That’s not true at all. Bees and other social insects are much more advanced.They have gone through many more generations than we humans have. As social biologists will say, we humans are still in the presocial state. Bees and ants are in the eusocial state.What is the difference in the eusocial state? The level of importance is the whole. The value of the individual is very very limited. We still think, as humans, that the individual is the essence of the whole thing. So we have a long way to go before we will be as socialised as insects are. Some will not agree with that, but that is what evolution tells us. So we are rather slow in evolving.

 

Question: Can you explain why you think that, socially, we are on a lower level?

 

De Loof: Maybe, socially, these insects are more automated in what they do.