Byron Reese - Agora: The Human Collective

What if humans are part of a larger collective superorganism - and the internet is its nervous system? Byron Reese discusses bee hives, ant colonies, and explains why humanity is more than the sum of its parts. In his latest book, "We Are Agora: How Humanity Functions as a Single Superorganism That Shapes Our World and Our Future", Byron Reese discusses the science of superorganisms - living collective organisms that are made of smaller organisms. Sound outlandish? Actually superorganisms are all around us. Dogs, cats, birds, fish, and even people are superorganisms composed of cells that work together towards a larger goal - and in this book, Byron describes how groups of independent lifeforms, such as individual human beings, may in turn form larger organisms. A person is made of cells, and a city is made of people - but so are countries, regions, and territories. So not only can superorganisms scale, but they can be nested within each other - with unique goals that don't always align to the benefit of their constituent components. Superorganisms can be intelligent, conscious, and have "qualia". After all, you're a superorganism yourself. Could larger human collective human superorganisms also posses consciousness - and could the internet by a digital nervous system enabling our own collective to "wake up"? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Byron Reese is a serial entrepreneur with a quarter-century of experience building and running successful technology companies, with multiple acquisitions and IPOs along the way. He is an award-winning author, speaker, and futurist who holds many technology patents and has started two podcasts about artificial intelligence. He currently serves as the CEO of JJ Kent Incorporated, a venture-backed technology company that recently launched Scissortail.ai, a proprietary artificial intelligence tool set to inform new product and listing strategies. Bloomberg Businessweek credits Byron with having “quietly pioneered a new breed of media company.” The Financial Times of London reported that he “is typical of the new wave of internet entrepreneurs out to turn the economics of the media industry on its head.” Byron and his work have been featured in hundreds of news outlets, including New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, NPR, and the LA Times Magazine. Byron graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rice University with a degree in Honors Economics, and is the author of several books, including "The Fourth Age", "Wasted:", "Infinite Progress", and his newest book, "We Are Agora", which we'll be discussing today. LINKS & RESOURCES: Byron Reese (Official Homepage) https://byronreese.com/ We Are Agora: How Humanity Functions as a Single Superorganism That Shapes Our World and Our Future https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Agora-Functions-Superorganism/dp/B0CFBC28L6 The Agora Podcast https://byronreese.com/the-agora-podcast/ Infinite Progress: How the Internet and Technology Will End Ignorance, Disease, Poverty, Hunger, and War https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Progress-Internet-Technology-Ignorance/dp/1608324044 The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Age-Conscious-Computers-Humanity-ebook/dp/B074ZQ62FW