Holte's corner

The Value of Democracy in the Animal World

The value of democracy is demonstrated, even in the animal world:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3248

"Implementing an efficient democracy can be a complex task, as the last US presidential election demonstrated. But Roper is adamant that collective decisions do not necessarily require polling cards or even a sophisticated brain."

Why would animals use "democracy" to make decisions? They do so partly because there is safety in numbers. But they also do this because good decisions based on good information, and one way to get the best information possible involves sifting a lot of views of the same subject. Each individual animal may not have the best information, but together the group may see a threat better than any individual might. Like a set of compound eyes, each individual "eye" may be limited, but together they can describe the reality the group is experiencing together. That is the role of democracy in nature, and among humans.

For that reason:

"In the case of real red deer, the animals do indeed vote with their feet by standing up. Likewise, in groups of African buffalo, individuals decide where to go by pointing in their preferred direction. The group takes the average and heads that way."

Fifty animals in a heard of one hundred, when the numbers hit fifty one that is the direction they go.

"Anna Dornhaus, who researches ant behaviour at Bristol University, UK, notes that research on the collective decisions of social insects is much more advanced. "But researchers have not assumed that a huge cognitive ability is necessary," she says."

When insects, or birds, move in tandem, it's not some tough "leader" that drives the motions, but the power of the majority. This power, produces a kind of unity that is often breathtakingly powerful. Bees, birds, humans, all can show more power when they combine than when they operate on their own.

"She does not think the model will tell us much about the merits of democracy in human society, but she says it challenges the popular perception that the natural world is run by dominance and violence. "Democracy is not something that humanity invented," she adds."

This would have been comforting to Darwin, who was the first one to note that humans have hierarchy and "alpha males" similar to wild animals. It turns out that the role of the "alpha" male is probably valid, but leadership doesn't always come from him.

Chris

Posted by cholte at October 16, 2006 02:34 PM