Swarms, Colonies, Flocks, and Schools: Exploring the Ontology of Collective Individuals
It is likely that upon observing the effortless turning and looping ballet of a flock of pigeons or school of fish you have asked yourself the question, “How do they do it?” As Brian Partridge noted in a Scientific American essay from the 80s: [This] question occurs naturally to anyone watching a school of silversides…