Swarm Theory and Intelligence

Some very interesting stuff here on Nat Geo. These pictures here lead me down a little road of discovery about this issue of Swarm Theory or Swarm Intelligence. It's a fascinating concept on how "agents follow very simple rules, and although there is no centralized control structure dictating how individual agents should behave, local interactions between such agents lead to the emergence of complex global behavior. Natural examples of SI include bird flocking, fish schooling and animal herding."

I wonder how some of this study is being applied to the old adage of the "herd mentality". You can really see this stuff play out socially with kids in schools, a youth ministry, or a cluster of friends. Whether it has to do with feelings, thinking or behaving this swarm theory probably plays out in simple ways such as dress and talk to complex expressions like social justice and religion. Obviously there are positive and negative implications, as well. The Nat Geo article above tells how the business world is taking some of organizational pointers from God's creation in the natural world.

Pretty cool.

(bu to National Geographic)