> It is helpful to think of the whole colony as a singular organism as opposed to individuals, because our understanding of individual starts breaking down at these levels
Can't the organisms be viewed as individuals with a shared common goal.
Can't the organisms be viewed as individuals with a shared common goal.
The workers are involuntary but willing participants, in a grand scheme where the queens and males get to create new generations. But this is possible only if we anthropomorphise a lot.
because at the level of ants/bees I'm not even sure what "individual" even means.
But genetically they originate from the same individual, live for the betterment of the whole, and have very minor say in what happens to themselves or their genes. Much similar to cells in a human being does.