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[Soadreqm]

But the important point is to distinguish between the mere appearance highly cooperative social organization that produces works an individual wouldn't be capable of producing alone, and the actual substance of a hive mind.  A true hive mind is a fictional concept in which the individuals of the collective have no individual identity.  The numerous examples brought up so far in this thread illustrate that individuals of hive mind organisms in fiction typically cannot function on their own.  Humans certainly function at a higher level when utilizing means of communication and cooperation, but we're perfectly capable of getting along on our own.

Humanity isn't a "true" hive mind in that sense, I agree, but I think "hive mind" is a perfectly good concept to describe ANY group of creatures achieving greater thinking capacity than a single creature. Knowing how something works might make it less magical, but it doesn't make it stop working.

Wait, would you qualify an anthive as a hive mind? Ants have no individual indentity that anyone can find, and can't really survive alone. They would seem to fall inside your definition, but I think you said earlier that they don't.

[Javis]

But the important point is to distinguish between the mere appearance highly cooperative social organization that produces works an individual wouldn't be capable of producing alone, and the actual substance of a hive mind.  A true hive mind is a fictional concept in which the individuals of the collective have no individual identity.  The numerous examples brought up so far in this thread illustrate that individuals of hive mind organisms in fiction typically cannot function on their own.  Humans certainly function at a higher level when utilizing means of communication and cooperation, but we're perfectly capable of getting along on our own.

Wait, would you qualify an anthive as a hive mind? Ants have no individual indentity that anyone can find, and can't really survive alone. They would seem to fall inside your definition, but I think you said earlier that they don't.

You could say that an ant possesses only a group identity and no self identity, but I would argue that it has neither, because it lacks the requisite intelligence.

It could also be the case that ants have an intelligence that is beyond our detection and confirmation, because we don't have the means to interact with ants intelligently.  Until proven otherwise, it's safer to start with the premise that ants exhibit intelligence-like behavior, rather than intelligence.

[Shoku]

Humans certainly function at a higher level when utilizing means of communication and cooperation, but we're perfectly capable of getting along on our own.

We don't get along on our own any better than a lone ant or lone brain cell.
With a lot of set up from the other units we're the most able to survive with contact cut off but the distinction you're trying to make is still awfully fuzzy. Just drawing the line at the familiar?

[Soadreqm]

Wait, would you qualify an anthive as a hive mind? Ants have no individual indentity that anyone can find, and can't really survive alone. They would seem to fall inside your definition, but I think you said earlier that they don't.

You could say that an ant possesses only a group identity and no self identity, but I would argue that it has neither, because it lacks the requisite intelligence.

It could also be the case that ants have an intelligence that is beyond our detection and confirmation, because we don't have the means to interact with ants intelligently.  Until proven otherwise, it's safer to start with the premise that ants exhibit intelligence-like behavior, rather than intelligence.

I don't think actual intelligence, in the sense humans have it, should be required. Rats are (probably) not sentient, but you could still say a rat has a mind. So, one could talk of the "mind" of an anthive, even if it's not a very smart mind.

Also, communicating with ANY hive mind, no matter how intelligent, would present serious problems. The individuals the hive mind is made of are by your definition completely mindless, and would see humans either as a food source, dangerous predators or terrain, depending on just how powerful each side was. Unless the hive mind went through the trouble of developing some kind of communication organ (planetary hive mouth?), we would have absolutely no way to talk to it, and could only tell it was intelligent if it had some extraordinary architecture or technology. And possibly not even then.

Speaking of which, what do you mean with "intelligence-like behavior"? I suppose there might be some metaphysical difference between something that is truly intelligent and something that only feigns intelligence, a "soul" of some kind that humans have and anthives and robots don't, but that is not a necessity. And until you can prove that YOU are truly intelligent, it is safer to start with the premise that all intelligence-like behaviour is intelligence.

[Shoku]

Actually our neurons aren't entirely unable to interact except through whatever organs. You can stick electrodes in that work just fine because that uses a signal the neurons are already receptive to. More importantly our brain is adaptable enough to integrate these electrodes with in and out signals given the opportunity. The connections we've done are pretty crude but they're definitely there.

Now, of the hive mind units are receptive (and possibly relay their own information primarily by) sound then we could very well communicate with it by speaking in it integrating us into it's mental circuitry. Of course, there are plenty of ways to communicate besides sound- the infrared light we give off might let such a hive mind integrate our emotional states before had any idea we were becoming an input.

Chances are it's pretty much gonna be much slower than I make it sound but hey, you never know.

[Draco18s]

...


I'm really sorry, guys, but all I see is "Blah blah blah..."

*Blah blah blahs with you*

Or something.