The Human Swarm

Résumé du livre

Mark W. Moffett is a scientist and real-life adventurer who was once called the Indiana Jones of entomology – the study of insects. A research associate in the Entomology Department at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History, he has shared his passionate interest in bugs, animals and human behavior on shows like The Colbert Report and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Humans possess a unique ability to coexist peacefully with strangers, a trait shared by species like ants, which use markers such as scent to identify members of their society. This capacity for large-scale cooperation is mirrored in human societies, where symbols and cultural markers help distinguish insiders from outsiders, fostering both unity and division. From hunter-gatherer bands to modern nations, societies have relied on shared identities and markers to maintain cohesion, often valuing their own group while dehumanizing others. This instinctive sorting begins in infancy and influences memory, empathy, and social dynamics, shaping how we interact with those perceived as different. While societies evolve and sometimes dissolve, the human tendency to form distinct groups persists, underscoring the enduring role of identity and belonging in our collective history.

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