Musings - Society is a Living organism

Human society is not entirely unlike a living organism, with many organisms (bacteria and viruses) working together in a symbiotic relationship. The human body has been compared to an intelligent superorganism, where every cell plays its role for the good of the whole. All parts are trying to work towards a higher goal -- survival of the species.

In a similar way, human society is also like an organism. The cells in the body of this superorganism are humans -- they work together to keep it alive and functioning. Some people eat food for others (farmers), some people work on machines that produce goods for others (manufacturers), some clean up waste that would otherwise threaten the health of others, etc..

So, if human society is like a superorganism, then it's probably good to compare each individual member of society to a cell in the body. Some cells are specialized for certain tasks (muscle cells that contract and relax), others have very general functions (skin cells). If we think about people this way, there are some interesting conclusions.

In the same way that certain cells are specialized to do a specific task, some members of society have very specific roles (doctors), while others play more general roles in support of the whole (cooks). And there is also variation within each role -- for example, doctors can specialize even further.

This analogy between human society and a living organism is useful because it helps us understand certain aspects of society in terms that we already know. For example, cells are produced by other cells, so humans reproduce by having children.

But most cells in a living organism are not directly related to each other (as far as we know). So it is also true that people don't usually have direct relationships with those who provide products and services. Instead, the economy provides a middle-man who connects supply and demand.