Skip to main content

Mushroom Men

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Image of the Week #88, April 22th, 2013:From:It Is in Our Nature to Be Self-Deficient by Jag Bhalla at the Guest Blog. Source: Cartoon by The New Yorker Cartoonist Julia Suits. Mushroom men spring forth from the earth fully formed and ready for battle, entirely self-sufficient entities that never knew dependency of any sort. This is the image conjured by a classic Hobbesian thought experiment that author Jag Bhalla cites in his post, "Is it in Our Nature to be Self-Deficient?" The metaphor suits his argument particularly well since mushrooms are the fruit of sometimes vast networks of fungi that exist unseen and (perhaps) under-appreciated. We celebrate individualism in our society, but is it possible to be truly self-sufficient? Biology suggests not.