Human machines and organizations function as biological adaptations like teeth

Evidence

A systems approach to studying a specific object means abstraction and modelling which is based on the finding that very many (if not all) objects in reality exhibit some general properties that can be described using systemic concepts. The target may be of a physical origin, a society of living beings, or a human-made technical artefact, and yet some general concepts may apply to all of them. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 106 (#expands, via linked claim)

The more I sought common threads—themes uniting the stories of diverse animal species—the more apparent it became that these threads applied to our own weapons, too. In the end, my book about animal weapons evolved into a book about extreme weapons everywhere. I pored deeper into the literature surrounding our past, searching for the environments and circumstances in which our most elaborate weapons evolved. To my amazement, these circumstances truly were the same, and I realized I couldn’t tell one story without telling the other. Back and forth I went, as the biology of animal weapons and our weapons fused, inextricably woven into a single tale. This is a book about extreme weapons. Let’s just leave it at that. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 7 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Physical, biological, and engineered systems share describable general properties — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 106; Altruism can be learned analogously to biological evolution — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality: The…, 496; Religion is an evolved device enabling groups to function as adaptive units (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Religion is an evolved device enabling groups to function as adaptive units #exemplifies (0.78)
• Physical, biological, and engineered systems share describable general properties #expands (0.75) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 106
• Altruism can be learned analogously to biological evolution #expands (0.72) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 496
• The evolutionary drivers of animal weapons also explain human weapon elaboration. #expands (0.72) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 7