The difference between Human and animal

[metis]

Just asking that question lowers you on the food chain.

I don't care, as long as I get fed.

 

[BSM1]

I don't care, as long as I get fed.

Something we can agree on..

 

[fantome profane]

Maybe you should look up the definition of instinct also.

I just did that. Here are the first three dictionary entries that came up on a google search for "define instinct"

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instinct

Simple Definition of instinct

• : a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned : a natural desire or tendency that makes you want to act in a particular way
  
  
• : something you know without learning it or thinking about it
  
  
• : a natural ability

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/instinct

[in-stingkt]

• Synonyms
• Examples
• Word Origin

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun
1.
an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species.
2.
a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency.
3.
a natural aptitude or gift:
an instinct for making money.
4.
natural intuitive power.

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/instinct

instinct
An instinct is something you don't need to learn — it happens naturally, without you even thinking about it. Babies cry by instinct, and ducks follow their mother by instinct.

Animals and humans learn a lot of things from other animals and humans. But if there isn't any learning involved, then the behavior is an instinct. Instincts come naturally, like a baby's desire to feed. Some behaviors are a combination of instinct and learned behavior, like language. Others happen without any teaching at all, like the instinct to run when you see a big, hungry looking bear. When you see the word instinct, think natural response.

Definitions of instinct
1
n inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
“the spawning instinct in salmon”
“altruistic instincts in social animals”
Synonyms:
inherent aptitude
Types:
id
(psychoanalysis) primitive instincts and energies underlying all psychic activity
Type of:
aptitude
inherent ability

I was unable to find anything in any dictionary to indicate that homo sapiens do not have instincts.

What dictionary are you using?

 

[Parsimony]

Maybe you should look up the definition of instinct also.

We definitely have an instinct to breathe. You don't even have to think about it. It happens even when you're not conscious.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Perhaps you should look up the definitions of instinct and intuition before pontificating on whether they are the same.

I know the difference, it was the similarities that I was pointing out.
Many of the atributes in animals that were thought to be instincts have proved to be learnt behaviour.

SIMILARLY many of our intuitions are also derived from past experience.
It is hard to prove that intuition even exists. Like muscle memory it is just automatic recall.

"INSTINCT
1. an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species. 2. a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency. 3. a natural aptitude or gift: an instinctfor making money."

these apply equally to man if they exist at all.

like luck, the more we practice the luckier we get.

Instint, intuition, and luck. Are all about atributing properties to things we do not yet understand.

 

[Riverwolf]

No animal will ever harm it's own environment...

A statement that, when examined, actually is so broad that it's basically meaningless. "Harm" and "environment" are so broadly applied here that the truth of this statement depends on what is meant. Are we talking individual species' behaviors doing something to make their own habitats hard to live in for themselves or others? Are we talking about actions that make it harder for other animals to live?

No animal will ever harm another just for the fun of it (excluding white whales that use animals as a game - but it is actually the way they "sharpen" their hunting instincts)

Why, it's almost as if play (i.e., something done "for the fun of it") were, in reality, a form of practice.

Also, you clearly haven't spent much time around cats.

 

[BSM1]

I just did that. Here are the first three dictionary entries that came up on a google search for "define instinct"

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instinct
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/instinct


https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/instinct

I was unable to find anything in any dictionary to indicate that homo sapiens do not have instincts.

What dictionary are you using?

An instinct is an inborn pattern of action to a stimuli that is common to all members of a given biological species. Human beings have no common action to any stimuli that is inborn. The only thing that comes close to an instinct in humans is the suckling action of newborns and the proclivity of babies to swim. Everything else is either a learned behavior or an action resulting from conscious or subconscious thought.

I know the difference, it was the similarities that I was pointing out.
Many of the atributes in animals that were thought to be instincts have proved to be learnt behaviour.

SIMILARLY many of our intuitions are also derived from past experience.
It is hard to prove that intuition even exists. Like muscle memory it is just automatic recall.

"INSTINCT
1. an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to action common to a given biological species. 2. a natural or innate impulse, inclination, or tendency. 3. a natural aptitude or gift: an instinctfor making money."

these apply equally to man if they exist at all.

like luck, the more we practice the luckier we get.

Instint, intuition, and luck. Are all about atributing properties to things we do not yet understand.

Exactly. See above.

We definitely have an instinct to breathe. You don't even have to think about it. It happens even when you're not conscious.

No, we don't. This is an autonomous action, not an instinct. An instinct is triggered by stimuli. See above.

 

[fantome profane]

Human beings have no common action to any stimuli that is inborn.

This is your statement. There is nothing in any dictionary that I could find that indicates this.

You are the one who suggested we look up the definition, and I did so. Perhaps you need to be more specific. Where do you think we should look up the definition of instincts?

 

[idav]

An instinct is an inborn pattern of action to a stimuli that is common to all members of a given biological species. Human beings have no common action to any stimuli that is inborn. The only thing that comes close to an instinct in humans is the suckling action of newborns and the proclivity of babies to swim. Everything else is either a learned behavior or an action resulting from conscious or subconscious thought.



Exactly. See above.


No, we don't. This is an autonomous action, not an instinct. An instinct is triggered by stimuli. See above.

We do have instincts. Why do you think other animals are born smarter than humans?

One instinct is the stepping instinct which babies have a hard time with because we are one of the weakest species physically because our brains take priority in early development.

 

[idav]

Chimps are smarter than humans.

 

[idav]

Your post is so anthropomorphically flawed it's almost laughable. For instance, you are assuming the elephants are "mourning' their dead. There is absolutely no way to determine that this action to equates to human mourning. You also assume there is a "boss" spider that can plan and delegate authority. Pure Disney.

Well elephants can pass a self awareness test so that is pretty good evidence. Our ape cousins can pass the same test. Monkeys not so much.

 

[Segev Moran]

Your post is so anthropomorphically flawed it's almost laughable.

Glad i could make you laugh...
Yet...

There is absolutely no way to determine that this action to equates to human mourning.

How arrogant of you to think that the only way of mourning is the Human way...
It is a known fact without no doubt that there are animals that mourn their lost ones!!!!!

Dolphins Crying for their young ones...
Dogs Wailing for the loss of their human friend
Elephants gathering and standing for hours by the corpse of their kind
Apes becoming stressed and sad for losing a member of their family
Just look it up... You'll find tons of information...

there is a "boss" spider that can plan and delegate authority. Pure Disney.

I never said there is a boss..
Yet again your arrogance makes you think in terms of human...
There is no "Boss" spider..
it is something that humans have long forgot how to do...
Who said you need a "boss" to decide???????
Don't you think it is possible that this spider specie is so socially advanced that they don't need a boss to decide things for them?
Just read a bit about Social spiders... and see how little you've known

Humans by the very definition of instincts have none. Humans have intuition and reasoning, animals do not.

Wow... So humans have no instincts???
Now who's making a laugh?

If you'll read a bit about the behavior of babies.. you'll realize that we are all about instincts..
It's true that those instincts are being suppressed over time do to our ability to reason..
but non the less.. they are there...

Instincts can make a person stay away from fire even if he was never burned...
Instincts will make you take action when a life threatening situation is near...

I Just get it... You find it very hard to believe you are an animal...
But that does not change the fact that you are...
Same as believing that GOD created human at an instant... doesn't change the fact that evolution exists.

Animals not harming their environment? Go look at what a possession of Army Ants leave behind. Or look at a farm field that has been overgrazed. Or look at trees that have stripped bare by primates and other arboreal species. Animals have no concept of environment past their next meal.

You missed my point here..
I Didn't mean to say that animals never take actions that can cause harm..
I Meant that animals do not cause harm to the global environment...
unlike humans that take as they desire..even if they don't need to...
If humans keep up the way they do.. earth is facing an extinction!!! that is a fact..
Oddly enough, This earth is around for Billions of years...
Life emerged a long time ago and never in the history of life, was there a specie that caused the earth to come to a point of extinction!!!!!!!!!
unlike uhhhhhm... US? the Godly creatures that we are ...

What other species would you have in control of the earth? Apes? Tigers? Snail Darters?

I don't want any other species to CONTROL the earth..
I Want that humans will understand that we need not control it..
To face the fact that we are a part of this world and are privileged to have the ability to ask questions, and evolve, and learn.. and treat other species with respect and understanding
that we are doomed without them (BTW, they are not doomed without us.. hmm.. interesting...)

That sentence.. that idiotic sentence that man was created to rule the earth, and have all the animals to its bidding.. is the source of everything that is wrong in the way we treat animals!
And yes.. the sad fact is,, that earth will be better without humans (At the current state of our behaviors towards it)

I recommend you an amazing documentary called "population zero"...

Watch it and maybe than you'll have your answer about how superior we are...

No offense, but I think I'll keep my superiority, thank you very much.

And again...
You only think you're superior..
while the fact is that superiority is a matter of perspective..

Eye sight: Eagle, Owl and actually almost any "hunting" animal's sight is superior to ours
Strength: The small little ant is many times superior to us! Imagine that if an ant was to weight like a human.. it could lift almost a TON on its own!!!!
Hearing: Dogs, Birds, Whales, Dolphins so many species that are far superior to us... Bats can actually see using their sound senses!!!!.. we are between the inferior species when it comes to hearing
Memory: Elephants can remember a path they took to the level of steps for tens of years!

need more?

Communication: Ants can transfer an entire generation information to another ant in a matter of seconds!!!!!!!!!!!! Plug and Play!
Magnetic senses: Birds can see magnetic pulses by which they can navigate through out the earth!
Night vision: Owls can see in night as if it was a daylight!
Light spectrum: Many animals can see a much broader spectrum of light allowing them to see infra red and ultra violet lights!

and the list goes on and on!

The only "luck" we have.. is that we can actually study and understand those things... We were lucky enough to evolve to the beings we are so we can learn and protect those same beings you call inferiors..
Shame on you for having the arrogance to call your self (humans) superior cause that my friend... we are not!

 

[Segev Moran]

We are not hazardous, that's really silly claim. Each & one of us has free will, it's up to us on how we will live.
Why would you look at humans as something bad? Because news basically cover only bad stuff happening in the world? There is good in many people, but those are minority in whole - but still that doesn't make us bad. Humans are superior to animals, but that does not mean we need to be jerks to them.

I'm not looking at humans as something bad..
On the contrary.. I think humanity is amazing and beautiful!
I just think that humans have a way of doing Evil in the name of good (intentionally or not) and now is the time (When science is advancing) to stop and learn what a really wonderful species we can be!

Humans should take a deep breath.. and have a look at what is happening today! we need to wake up and learn to appreciate and cherish our lives instead of trying to be the dominating species.. we need to be the leading species!

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Instincts are not magic.
some information is transferred in the code of all living dna.
those that do not relate to bodily functions, we call instincts.

perhaps non human animals have preserved this function better than we have.

 

[BSM1]

I just did that. Here are the first three dictionary entries that came up on a google search for "define instinct"

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instinct
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/instinct


https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/instinct

I was unable to find anything in any dictionary to indicate that homo sapiens do not have instincts.

What dictionary are you using?

An instinct has to be an action performed the same way to the same stimuli by each member of the species without learning or reflex. The human species, by default, has no instincts.
Re: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinct

We do have instincts. Why do you think other animals are born smarter than humans?

One instinct is the stepping instinct which babies have a hard time with because we are one of the weakest species physically because our brains take priority in early development.

Walking is a learned and reflexive action. We have to think about it when we do it to begin with. Which animal taught you how to type on a keyboard?

 

[metis]

An instinct has to be an action performed the same way to the same stimuli by each member of the species without learning or reflex. The human species, by default, has no instincts.
Re: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinct






Walking is a learned and reflexive action. We have to think about it when we do it to begin with. Which animal taught you how to type on a keyboard?

You're sorta playing fast & loose with the word "reflex". As I mentioned before, most of the time "reflex" is used to refer to basic human instincts, such as the rooting reflex, whereas we tend to use the word "instinct" for the same exact action in animals. This is an antiquated approach that has still stuck on in many circles.

 

[BSM1]

You're sorta playing fast & loose with the word "reflex". As I mentioned before, most of the time "reflex" is used to refer to basic human instincts, such as the rooting reflex, whereas we tend to use the word "instinct" for the same exact action in animals. This is an antiquated approach that has still stuck on in many circles.

Are you trying to rewrite a definition to fit your view? An instinct in a species has to be an action to a stimuli that occurs without thinking, learning, or reflex. This action has to be the same action to the same stimuli in every member of the species. I am sure you can agree that humans do not react the same in any situation without thought process unless it is reflexive. Even then the reflex action varies greatly in each person. If you just want to debate me over this that's okay; but facts are tricky little devils with minds of their own. Fact is, humans have no instincts by definition, nor do we need them. This is what separates us from other animals.

 

[metis]

Are you trying to rewrite a definition to fit your view? An instinct in a species has to be an action to a stimuli that occurs without thinking, learning, or reflex. This action has to be the same action to the same stimuli in every member of the species. I am sure you can agree that humans do not react the same in any situation without thought process unless it is reflexive. Even then the reflex action varies greatly in each person. If you just want to debate me over this that's okay; but facts are tricky little devils with minds of their own. Fact is, humans have no instincts by definition, nor do we need them. This is what separates us from other animals.

I'm an anthropologist by trade, and we study and write about these things all the time. I myself have used both words at different times simply for ease of communication. The rooting reflex is indeed an instinct because all humans are borne with it, with the exception of a very small minority.

Humans are animals, so I would suggest getting used to it and not consider it to be some sort of insult.

 

[fantome profane]

An instinct has to be an action performed the same way to the same stimuli by each member of the species without learning or reflex. The human species, by default, has no instincts.
Re: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instinct

You keep saying this but it is just not true.

 

[Segev Moran]

An instinct has to be an action performed the same way to the same stimuli by each member of the species without learning or reflex. The human species, by default, has no instincts.

How about new born babies that although never had that experience, at birth imdiatly looks for the breast to feed and you don't need to teach him how to eat?
How about the instinct of a baby to hold his breath upon diving in water?
How about the instinct of a woman to defend her babies even at the cost of her own life?
How about the instinct of babies to stay away from fire?

These are all instincts...
And again... as time passes, we teach the baby to "override" some of those instincts..

The survival instinct is present!
The maternity instinct is present!

What instincts does an animal have based on your definition?

When a new born is born to nature.. its mother teaches him everything... so animals have no instincts either?