Nathan S. Jacobs: How do schools of fish swim in harmony?

How do schools of fish swim in harmony?

How do schools of fish swim in harmony? How do the tiny cells in your brain give rise to the complex thoughts, memories, and consciousness that are you? Oddly enough, those questions have the same general answer. Nathan S. Jacobs explains the concept of emergence, the spontaneous creation of sophisticated behaviors and functions from large groups of simple elements. [Directed by Lisa LaBracio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Wonder Boy Audio].

The harmony seen in schools of fish and the workings of the human brain both arise from emergence, where complex patterns form from simple parts. A single fish or neuron behaves in basic ways, but together, they create new behaviors like predator evasion or consciousness. No leader orchestrates these systems; instead, their collective actions follow local rules, giving rise to reliable, sophisticated patterns. Billions of neurons in the brain connect to form thoughts, just as countless fish evade danger as one fluid entity.