Animals As Models For Human Society

Chapter Summary

Ants are insects of the Formicidae family. The ants' social order consists of three classes, the fertile winged queen; winged males, whose sole function is to fertilize the queen; and a great number of sterile wingless female workers, who engage in numerous activities, such as foraging, carrying, threshing, sorting, and storing. Ancient Near Eastern literature is full of observations of ants used to illuminate human behavior. In Proverbs, in sharp contrast to other biblical passages that portray the locust in a negative light, the locust lifestyle is proposed as a model for human beings. Here the locust is a wise creature that lives without formal rulers but has an organized social system worthy of emulation. The lion is presented as the first among the good walkers, the mightiest beast that is afraid of no one.

Keywords: ant; human behavior; lion; locust