[lotsofpulp]

> I sometimes think that it is a valid mental model to think of us as not much different from ants in a hive who think they possess more control and freedom than they do

I think it is the opposite. We are different from ants, and have a lot of control and freedom, so we know that if others will not make the sacrifice, why should we?

In an ant colony, I imagine the orders are being given top down and they do not think about what others are or are not sacrificing.

[ajmurmann]

As I understand it, ants and other similar it's like bees don't have a hierarchical structure that issues orders. Instead they follow quasi-baked in behavioral patterns and pheromone signals provided by peers.

I'm not a biologist though and also have no experience in what it's like to be a bee or ant