Does an ant have a self? (Self-inquiry/Philosophy)

This question is just too much fun to bypass. I found it while listening to the Shawn Nevins questions and answers podcast: https://youtu.be/KDt2meEPL6M?si=4Nqhe88Kg0Dz_CWW&t=1200. (The question for tonight's meeting is found 22 mins into the podcast where Shawn responds to it). **Quotes from Shaun on the question:** "I think humans have a lot of hubris about their self and that most of their human qualities are actually just animal qualities that we share with the many many animals and for all I know with plants as well". "If we're going to say that an ant don't got a self because we're going to say that an ant's planning is just instinctual well then I would say the exact same thing of a human. What we believe is our self, what we believe is our will is just instinct" **Some questions that come up in relation to the thought experiment:** If I believe that I have a self and believe that an ant doesn't, on what ground do I make that claim? Are humans moved by instinct just like the ant? Are thoughts/mind the only difference between me and the ant? Are thoughts instinctual? What causes thought? Can I operate instinctually and successfully without thought? If so, is thinking useless or even a handicap? If self doesn't exist, what/who do I identify as? Can I just admit to myself that self doesn't exist and therefore I won't be bothered by it anymore or confused by an ensuing identity crisis? Or do I have to work at decoding the program of self in order to release it, in order to get free of it? What questions do you have? Photo by Egor Kamelev: https://www.pexels.com/photo/macro-photography-of-red-ant-1104974/ Check out the "What we are about" section in the groups' main page for some guidelines we work to adhere to. Meetings are run on the popular Zoom platform. Please contemplate the topic in advance of the meeting to get the best out of it and bring your views and convictions to the meeting, if possible have a pen and paper close by to record anything useful that may come up that you resonate with on the night, little things you may want to contemplate further.