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Imagine each human is like a neuron in a brain. Then the totality of all humans communicating together would create some kind of hive mind.

But a single neuron isn't "aware" of the mind of the brain as a whole.

So a human would never know if the human-race had a hive mind.

But perhaps two colonies of humans would create two hive minds. And then the two hive minds would communicate. But how? And what would they say to each other?

firstly, if many people aren't aware the hive mind exists, then there has to be a way to become aware of it and access it. questions to ask yourself: who does know it exists? does it come from some sort of divine being, and can be bestowed upon some ancient race which the character just found they were a part of? or maybe you have to go on some quest? or is it artificially manufactured, in a lab or something?

second, how do people within the hive mind (who are aware) communicate? do they avoid it at all costs? does it cause physical pain or cost you something? when I think of a hive mind, I think of it like the Microsoft Teams app. you focus on a particular issue or person on whatever and just like search the chat for it, then add onto the group discussion.

third, what about people who aren't aware it exists? do they unconsciously contribute to the discussion? can the opinions in the hive mind unknowingly affect their mood, their opinions? is that why everyone has a little voice in their head telling them no, or why they argue with themselves sometimes? is the hive mind a way of reading other peoples minds, if you are trained and skilled enough to pursue it?

fourth, communication as a whole being. does this suggest that a particular group of people can form as one being? then once they discuss a topic, they all kinda say it together in the general direction of the other hive mind? or is it more stranger things, where something is actually controlling the whole network? therefore, is that being able to listen to their own hive mind, then talk about it to another hive mind being?

I guess one hive mind would talk about political stuff to the other hive mind. like how politics is, with everyone voting and then a representative saying my group wants this, except you can hear everyone else's specific ideas and then reconsider your own. The main thing to look at: do the humans control the hive mind, or does the hive mind control the humans?

These sorts of hive minds already exist. We call them institutions, states, and countries.

They communicate by sending information across networks. Those networks also facilitate their computation. Take meme's as an example. These are higher order thoughts that persist across time. The thoughts that promote the organism as a whole tend to get maintained and propagated. Rule of law is one such example, very few countries now do not at least have a basic law body. The most successful countries have a well-maintained law body. And the hint is in the name law body, this meme is as real as you can get while being pure information.

Currently numerous conversation are occurring between different hive minds. Businesses are actively communicating about services, and goods. Countries are actively communicating about what land they own, who is allowed on that land, and what they will do if someone is on their land that should not be. Universities are communicating about the right ways to view the world, and how different views have different benefits.

Each of these are communicating via various representatives, who might the official representatives, or unofficial representatives who relay the thought. Sometimes those representatives are books, art, other times people. In this day and age many of these representatives are machines.