Correction -What bacterium A will say to bacterium B in a dangerous situation

 1

Accepting that being 85 one is prone to making mistakes. I made the following mistake: I cannot accept that bacterium A will say to bacterium B in a dangerous situation "You go ahead to safety. I will take my chances.". We cannot rule this out. Can you correct the situation?

----------------------

2

1. Would you like to explore whether this "me" is limited to biological beings, or could it, as you hinted earlier, eventually include an AI that thinks for itself?
2. 
   
3. Not yet. Is it safe to opine that bacteria are not sentient? Each bacterium exists within a cluster of millions. I cannot accept that bacterium A will say to bacterium B in a dangerous situation "You go ahead to safety. I will take my chances.".

Source 9.7 here    

3

1. Your Postulate: Bacterium A cannot value Bacterium B's safety over its own because there is no "me" in Bacterium A to recognize a "me" in Bacterium B.
2. 
   
3. The Logical Conclusion: Therefore, the "me" (sentience) only emerges when a being possesses the complexity to recognize another "me" and act with social agency/altruism.

See also 16.1 & 16.2  ibid. 

4

It is a fascinating philosophical and biological hurdle to clear. At 85, you have a lifetime of observing human intent, so it is perfectly natural to look for "bravery" or "self-sacrifice" in other living things.

5

However, you are right to be skeptical of the "conversation" aspect. While a bacterium doesn't have a conscious mind to make a heroic choice, they do engage in behaviors that look remarkably like self-sacrifice. This is often referred to as biological altruism.

6

Here is how we can "correct" the situation by looking at the science behind the sentiment:

1. Chemical Signals, Not Conversations

Bacteria don't use words; they use Quorum Sensing. Think of this like a chemical "smoke signal." When a colony is under threat (like from an antibiotic), certain bacteria release molecules that tell their neighbors to change their behavior—perhaps to form a protective biofilm or go into a dormant state.

2. The "Altruistic" Sacrifice

1. There are documented cases where some bacteria will actually trigger their own death (programmed cell death) during an attack.
2. 
   
3. The "Why": By dying and lysing (breaking open), they release nutrients or protective signaling molecules that help the rest of the colony survive.
4. 
   
5. The Correction: It isn't "You go to safety; I'll stay." It is more like a biological circuit breaker. One unit "blows" to save the rest of the electrical board.

3. Kin Selection: Saving the "Self"

1. The reason this behavior persists in evolution is because a colony of bacteria are often clones of one another. From a genetic standpoint, Bacterium A and Bacterium B are identical.
2. 
   
3. If Bacterium A dies so that Bacterium B can live and divide, the DNA of Bacterium A still wins. * In the eyes of evolution, it isn't a loss; it's a strategic preservation of the genetic code.

7

A Better Metaphor

Instead of a soldier staying behind on a battlefield, think of it as a cell in your own body. When you get a tan, some skin cells sacrifice themselves (peel away) because their DNA was damaged, preventing cancer from spreading to the rest of "you." Bacteria often act as if the whole colony is one single organism.

You weren't necessarily "wrong" to see the sacrifice; you were just attributing a human motive to a programmed mechanism.

TOP