Terra Engine : Hive Mind

I. The Abilene Paradox
II. Eusocial
III. Stigmergy
IV. Kin Altruism
V. Hive Collapse

[Thirty-nine minutes and forty-seven seconds]

Download it here

A conceptual 'power ambient' EP, exploring aspects of 'hive minds' and eusociality, both within the context of insect species and mammalian creatures (including human beings). Featuring haunting dark ambient passages, the ever-shifting 'power ambience' of electronic drones, harrowing field recordings, and a permeating haze of industrial atmospheres, "Hive Mind" will simultaneously try to crawl out of your speakers as well as permeate your consciousness.

To begin, the phrase 'hive mind' has several different definitions. It can refer to:

-Psychological constructs that involve 'collective consciousness', and activities which result from collective thinking (such as the 'groupthink' phenomenon and varying degrees of conformity within specific situations/scenarios)
-In science fiction, 'hive mind' tends to refer to a 'singular consciousness residing in a group of individuals' (although this can also be termed 'group minds', for a variety of technical reasons). The notable trait regarding these hive minds is the fact that individual identity is completely non-existent, although the hive mind may specialize some of its members in order to function effectively. The vast majority of fictional 'hive minds' are in alien species (although there are many other different types, both fictional and possibly real, such as the highly unsettling and unsubstantiated "Rat King" [Cryptid] phenomenon).
-The 'collective consciousness' of 'social' insects.
-'Hive mind' has also been (perhaps incorrectly) been associated with the concept of a/the 'universal mind', which is the collected totality of everything existing in this universe (though whether this would include other universes, should they exist, is most likely beyond human comprehension).

The Abilene Paradox: While impossible to occur within 'traditional collective groups', this is a paradox which is highly possible (and often probable) within small human groups, often among business associates or close friends. In short, it is when 'a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group. It involves a common breakdown of group communication in which each member mistakenly believes that their own preferences are counter to the group's and do not raise objections'. Such choices can, over a period of time, increase group polarization, which can ultimately lead to instability and dissolution. The Abilene Paradox is the calm before the storm, the first step towards the road of ruin...

Eusociality: "The highest level of social organization". Traditionally, only invertebrates have been considered to display traits fo eusociality (although the naked mole rat, pictured above, has been considered to display these traits due to its unique living conditions and path of evolution). The exact 'definition' of eusociality and how it operates has been the subject of debate for many years, with some arguing that only species which feature 'irreversible castes/specialities' can be considered as 'eusocial' (thus excluding all 'social vertebrates', since none apparently have 'irreversible castes'). On the other hand, extremely broad definitions define eusociality as 'any temporary division of labor or non-random distribution of reproductive success to constitute eusociality' (thus many species, including humans, would be considered as 'eusocial'). There are several hypothesis as to how eusociality actually operates (Superorganism Theory,  Inclusive Fitness) and several opposing viewpoints  to the concept of  eusociality itself (most notable among them are questions/concerns by Darwin himself).

Stigmergy: "Stigmergy is a form of self-organization. It produces complex, apparently intelligent structures, without need for any planning, control, or even communication between the agents. As such it supports efficient collaboration between extremely simple agents, who lack any memory, intelligence or even awareness of each other." The French biologist Pierre-Paul Grasse (who coined the term in 1959, and was an opponent of Darwinian evolutionary theories, instead believing that an 'undiscovered internal factor' was responsible for species' evolution) noted that: "Self-Organization in social insects often requires interactions among insects: such interactions can be direct or indirect. Direct interactions are the "obvious" interactions: antennation, trophallaxis (food or liquid exchange), mandibular contact, visual contact, chemical contact (the odor of nearby nestmates), etc. Indirect interactions are more subtle: two individuals interact indirectly when one of then modifies the environment and the other responds to the new environment at a later time. Such an interaction is an example of stigmergy."
The Internet is also considered to be a 'stimeric communication medium', due to the fact that, unlike radio, television, phone calls, and other forms of electronic media, (theoretically) anyone can view/observe/interact with another individual at any given time. Of course, financial, security, economic, and other factors limit this connectivity between individuals, but the vast majority of the Internet is available for the average individual to observe/interact with, regardless of whether or not others observe this interactivity.

Kin Altruism: "From the time of antiquity field biologists have observed that some organisms tend to exhibit strategies that favor the reproductive success of their relatives, even at a cost to their own survival and/or reproduction." Kin altruism 'usually' stems from 'kin recognition', in order to determine whether or not to engage in activities which benefit other individuals (although instances of 'indiscriminate altruism' may occur in 'lower' forms of life, such as protozoa, etc). This phenomenon is often found in eusocial societies, often manifesting themselves in evolutionary specialization, such as certain castes being exclusively fertile/infertile, or various defense/identification mechanisms developing within the species. "Recent studies provide evidence that even certain plants can recognize and respond to kinship ties."

Hive Collapse: There are a frightening number of diseases which can completely destroy a honey bee hive colony, including the insidious 'chalkbrood' / 'stonebrood' fungal diseases (which literally consume the larva from the inside) and the dreaded Colony Collapse Disorder (which itself may be caused by many different factors). Although some of the diseases / afflictions which hive colonies can encounter can be recovered from, many of them prove quickly fatal to the colony and it's inhabitants...

Further Reading:
Abilene Paradox (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abilene_paradox)
Eusociality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusociality)
Stigmergy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigmergy)
Swarm Intelligence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_intelligence)
Superorganism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superorganism)
Kin Altruism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin_altruism)
Diseases Of The Honey Bee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseases_of_the_honey_bee)
Colony Collapse Disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_Collapse_Disorder)
Rat King [Cryptid] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_king)
Naked Mole Rat [Eusocial mammalian species lifestyle] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked_mole_rat)
Honey Bee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee)
Ants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ants)

---
John Lithium. 2008.
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