![]() Moffett writes that the idea for this book first came to him in 2007, when he encountered a kilometers-long battlefield of Argentine ants in a town near San Diego. How can such vast groups function as societies? For example, why can an American travel to another country, walk into a crowded cafe, and be accepted peacefully by an entirely unfamiliar group of humans? No other animal species seems to have this ability–except for ants. ![]() But humans exist in communities numbering in the thousands, even millions. When an outsider approaches, they recognize the situation immediately and usually go on the attack. ![]() In his entertaining style, and with a keen ability for communicating scientific ideas to general readers, Moffett points out that most species of animals live in small, tight-knit groups, as humans once did. The Human Swarm draws from findings in anthropology, psychology, and sociology, attempting to get at the root of essential questions humans have had for thousands of years: How do societies develop? How do we keep them going? And, why do they fail? ![]() ![]() Moffett’79, an acclaimed biologist described by the writer Margaret Atwood as a “daring eco-adventurer,” wrote this paradigm-shattering investigation of the social adaptations that bind societies. The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall ![]()
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