Thursday, January 17, 2013

I said we have no instincts.  You may be conjuring up a few, so let me discuss Drives and Reflexes before we get back to Instincts.

1.  A Reflex is an uncontrolled reaction such as a knee jerk.  The doctor taps your knee with a hammer and your knee jerks.  You can't control a reflex.  Breathing: if you hold your breath you may pass out, but your body will 'reflexively' begin to breath again.
2.  A Drive can be controlled.  It is an "inner urge" that the species has and requires to survive:  hunger, thirst, sex...  You may be 'driven' to eat, drink, or have sex, but you don't have to indulge.  You may die of hunger or thirst and have no children but you still have control over your drives.

But an instinct?  What behavior does the human species exhibit that when stimulated will present itself full blown, is not learned and occurs without exception in the species?

In addition to reflexes, drives and instincts, many animal species exhibit one or more of the 5 basic social institutions.
1. Education,  2.  Economics,  3.  Government,  4.  Family,  and 5.  Religion.

1. Education: Think of a mother bear teaching her cub to fish.  2. Economics:  Think of all of the animals that store up food for the winter.  3. Government:  Think of a wolf pack and an Alpha wolf.
4. Family:  think of Elephants that mourn the death of one of their group.  Humans exhibit all 5 social institutions, but only one is unique to humans:  5.  Religion.  We alone ask questions such as:  where did we come from; what happens when we die; who made us; why are we here; what is our purpose?

We alone search for God.

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