Xref: utzoo sci.psychology:244 sci.bio:1137 Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!linus!philabs!ttidca!hollombe From: hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) Newsgroups: sci.psychology,sci.bio Subject: Re: Intelligent Parrots, or Self-deception and Gullibility. Message-ID: <2387@ttidca.TTI.COM> Date: 25 Apr 88 19:12:33 GMT References: <1988Mar4.162334.18184@utzoo.uucp> <4299@blia.BLI.COM> <1988Mar9.132722.3364@mntgfx.mentor.com> <2495@geac.UUCP> <2535@saturn.ucsc.edu> <762@actnyc.UUCP> <2231@ttidca.TTI.COM> <2550@geac.UUCP> <2282@ttidca.TTI.COM> <625@clinet.FI> Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath) Organization: The Cat Factory Lines: 55 In article <625@clinet.FI> hg@clinet.UUCP (Janne H{gglund) writes: +In article <2279@ttidca.TTI.COM> hollombe@ttidcb.tti.com (The Polymath) writes: +>I doubt there's anything in human makeup that could be identified as a +>hard-wired instinct. + + I have to disagree with you. We humans merely have so much free brain +capacity to use for learning we sometimes forget we also have instincts. + For example: + +- Sexuality. The sight of a sexy human female exites me. So does her + smell. It didn't when I was seven years old, only after the hormonal + activity started. If we LEARNED our sexual behaviour we could be + horny at age six. Touche'. Sexual response is certainly instinctive. +- In a very stressful situation, my adrenaline glands start working, my + heart starts pounding and so on. This happens even when the stress + situation has nothing to do with physical extertion, a computer crash, + for example. Why does my metabolic system respond to stress even when + it doesn't have to? Hard-wiring, I suppose. But you had to be trained to recognize that situation as stressful. The response to stress is automatic, but the recognition of the situation isn't. +- Hunger, thirst etc. are universally unpleasant. They are hard-wired to + be so. Got me again. +- Why does the sight of a baby provoke feelings of tenderness, the need + to care, and so on? This includes also near relatives - a dog puppy is + much more 'cuddly' than an adult dog. Sorry, I'm not at all fond of children and don't care for babies at all. I don't even like dogs and puppies much. + The list could go on almost forever, but I wish not to overload the +net. My main point is: humans do have as much instinct as other animals. +Humans only have so much more capacity of learning, so we use our +instincts less often. However, the instincts are there, and appear in +out everyday lives. (Without instincts, for example families would not +exist, neither would people marry) You've made some good points for human instincts, but I must disagree with your example of families and marriage. Those are purely social constructs. Many people get along quite well without them. In no way can they be considered instinctive. -- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM) Illegitimati Nil Citicorp(+)TTI Carborundum 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. (213) 452-9191, x2483 Santa Monica, CA 90405 {csun|philabs|psivax|trwrb}!ttidca!hollombe