View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-schools-of-fish-swim-in-harmony-nathan-s-jacobs How do schools of fish swim in harmony? How do the tiny cells in your brain give rise to the complex thoughts, memories, and consciousness that are you? Oddly enough, those questions have the same general answer. Nathan S. Jacobs explains the concept of emergence, the spontaneous creation of sophisticated behaviors and functions from large groups of simple elements. Lesson by Nathan S. Jacobs, animation by TED-Ed.