Large Blue Butterfly
Caterpillars can mimic ant signals and exploit a colony's brood care.
The Biological Miracle: Large blue butterfly caterpillars feed on a host plant before being carried into certain ant nests. Chemical cues, and in some populations acoustic signals, can prompt ants to treat the caterpillar like a larva and provide care.
The Philosophical Mirror: A social system's recognition rules can create both belonging and vulnerability. Care follows familiar signals, while the colony's ability to distinguish individuals is limited by the cues it can perceive.
The Human Takeaway: Institutions often protect those who fit their signs of deservingness while missing people outside them. Which cues do I trust when deciding who merits care, and whom might those cues exclude?
Institutions often protect those who fit their signs of deservingness while missing people outside them.
Which cues do I trust when deciding who merits care, and whom might those cues exclude?