Comparative studies in the psychology of ants and of higher animals / by Eric Wasmann ; authorized English version of the 2nd German edition enlarged and revised by the author.

  • Erich Wasmann
Date:
1905
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Comparative studies in the psychology of ants and of higher animals / by Eric Wasmann ; authorized English version of the 2nd German edition enlarged and revised by the author. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    bers and the consequent greater independence of instincts in the single worker, an ant colony bears the stamp rather of democratic, republican, even socialistic institutions. Viewed from the standpoint of compara¬ tive psychology, the community life of ants is more perfect than that of bees, on account of the greater psychic independence of each individual. It is this quality of individual independence that lends to ant- states, among all associations of animals, the greatest resemblance to the political societies of man based on individual intelligence and free will. This resemblance is of course never more than mere analogy; but it is the highest degree of analogy known to exist between the social institutions of man and of the brute. Nor is the term “state” applicable to the social organizations of ants or, in fact, to any animal community, in any other than a metaphorical1 meaning; yet it applies more perfectly to ant states than to any other family of insects, and to insect states rather than to those of any other animals. Another important reason, why with ant colonies the use of the term “state” is comparatively more appropriate than with the social organizations of other animals is, because colonies of ants are often not merely “enlarged families,” but contain also members of entirely different species which are hospitably shel¬ tered in the colony. Thus a simple ant colony comes to be a compound animal society. The above-men¬ tioned strangers are partly ants belonging to other *) On this point vide A. Espinas, “Des societes animales” (2e ed.) p. 372. Also Karl E. v. Baer (in Stoelzle, “K. E. v. Baer und seine Weltanschauung” [1896], p. 300); W. Wundt, “Vorlesungen ueber die Menschen- und Tierseele,” 2d ed., p. 451.