Hofstadter, Dennett - The Mind's I

Prelude . . . Ant Fugue 174CRAB: No, but --ANTEATER: Now that's my point. No matter how big a bubble is, it owes its existence toprocesses on the molecular level, and you can forget about any "higher-level laws." The samegoes for ant colonies and their teams. By looking at things from the vast perspective ofevolution, you can drain the whole colony of meaning and purpose. They becomesuperfluous notions.ACHILLES: Why, then, Dr. Anteater, did you tell me that you talked with Aunt Hillary? Itnow seems that you would deny that she can talk or think at all.ANTEATER: I am not being inconsistent, Achilles. You see, I have as much difficulty asanyone else in seeing things on such a grandiose time scale, so I find it much easier to changepoints of view. When I do so, forgetting about evolution and seeing things in the here andnow, the vocabulary of teleology comes back: the meaning of the caste distribution and thepurposefulness of signals. This not only happens when I think of ant colonies, but also when Ithink about my own brain and other brains. However, with some effort I can alwaysremember the other point of view if necessary, and drain all these systems of meaning, too.CRAB: Evolution certainly works some miracles. You never know the next trick it will pullout of its sleeve. For instance, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it were theoretically possiblefor two or more "signals" to pass through each other, each one unaware that the other one isalso a signal; each one treating the other as if it were jus part of the background population.ANTEATER: It is better than theoretically possible; in fact it happens routinely!ACHILLES: Hmm.... What a strange image that conjures up in my mind. I can just imagineants moving in four different directions, some black, some white, criss-crossing, togetherforming an orderly pattern, almost like-likeTORTOISE: A fugue, perhaps?ACHILLES: Yes-that's it! An ant fugue!CRAB: An interesting image, Achilles. By the way, all that talk of boiling water made methink of tea. Who would like some more?ACHILLES: I could do with another cup, Mr. C.CRAB: Very good.