Past event

Seminar Series: Collective Behaviour and Intelligence Continuation of the discussion on collective representations

The goal of the Collective Behaviour and Intelligence seminar series is to explore the phenomena of collective behaviour and intelligence, the mechanisms underlying them and their consequences, through reading and discussion of classic and current literature. These phenomena are of interest to a wide variety of disciplines and include many different systems at various scales of organisation. To cast a wide net and engage participants from different disciplines, we will review theoretical, modelling and empirical studies on various systems, using animal collective behaviour as a point of departure but also exploring human societies and their collective dynamics, as well as other systems where collective behaviour can be found.
Sessions could include a combination of lectures and discussions of pre-selected readings, coordinated by the various participants. The seminars are free of charge and all are welcome.

On collective representations (discussion led by Amanda Seed, Derek Ball, Josep Call and Gabriel Ramos-Fernandez, all of the University of St Andrews)

Abstract:
This session was prompted by the idea, discussed during previous seminar sessions, that a group might use a collective representation to interact with the environment. For example, in a colony of ants, the pheromone trail itself, as a dynamic pattern that grows and shrinks according to the interaction of the colony with the environment, might be considered as a representation of the foraging environment. No single ant may have this representation (or any part of it) in its mind, but for the group as a whole it functions as a representation of where food is in the environment at any given moment. In this session we will explore the possible existence of collective representations in various systems, as viewed from different disciplines, including philosophy, psychology and biology. Following a short presentation of these views, we will discuss examples of collective behaviour which might or might not be based on such collective representations, as well as their essential features.

Readings:
Millikan, R. G. 2000. Naturalizing intentionality. In: Proceedings of the 20th World Congress of Philosophy 9:83-90.
Gordon, D. M. 2023. Collective behavior in relation with changing environments: Dynamics, modularity, and agency. Evolution & Development, 25(6), 430-438.

The seminars are free of charge and all are welcome.