Debra Gordon's Emergence Episode Analysis

How did the universe as we know it come to be? How do groups of birds or bees come together to create hives and flock formations? How does order come from disorder? These are the questions that the cast of Radiolab attempt to answer in an episode entitled “Emergence”. This episode introduces us to the science of emergence, its relationship to ants, how it appears in humans, and what it tells us about consciousness. “Emergence” starts with a story about synchronous fireflies. These fireflies seem to organize and collaborate without any form of leadership or hierarchy. In trying to understand how this happens, we turn to the science of emergence, which looks at how order develops from seemingly disordered parts. Debra Gordon studies this phenomenon in another insect, the ant. Ants have an innate ability to self-organize without any true leader. Through pheromones and accidental

Based on discussions we have had in class and outside reading, I said that I thought that together they form one mind that works together to create these simultaneous movements. This phenomenon I was trying to explain falls under the study of emergence. While listening to this episode I found many parallels between the central executive vs. emergence argument and the computer model vs. ecological model argument we discuss in class. The central executive model discussed in the podcast assumes that in almost all systems there is someone who is in charge. This is similar in thought to the computer model of the brain that assumes that there is a certain part of the brain that controls all other parts of the brain. Emergence, on the other hand, assumes that all separate parts come together through interactions to create order. This is similar in thought to the ecological model which emphasizes the interaction between body and