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samsara
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| davinox |
| do you think our social instincts are to our benefit, our ruin, or both? |
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| twisted420 |
| depends who you are |
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| TwoPlow |
| I think some are better than others. Depends on what you're referring to. Be more specific. |
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| displaced |
| social instincts are to our benefits, unfortunately individualism (lets say personal ambition) tends to modify our behavior from just instincts. ;) |
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| davinox |
our social instincts that determine me sitting alone at the computer to be less desirable than me sitting on my girlfriends lap, all the instincts that make us human, that drive us.
if we could have consciousness without humanity, would we be better off? Philosophies such as Buddhism say yes, Realists say no. |
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| Arbiter |
| quote: | | our social instincts that determine me sitting alone at the computer to be less desirable than me sitting on my girlfriends lap, all the instincts that make us human, that drive us. |
I don't think instinct is an accurate term for what you're describing, because the value judgment that says that being alone is worse than with your girlfriend is more likely the product of cultural assimilation than any instinctive preference.
Whether or not the results of our compulsive socialization are beneficial or detrimental is an interesting question. I would have to say both, depending upon the circumstances.
For example, I have observed that many people socialize for the sake of socializing. That is, in their judgment it would make them a lesser person to pursue a solitary activity rather than a social one and thus their insecurity compels them to seek social activity. Most of the time, this activity consists of essentially nothing more than posturing and attempts to draw attention to oneself. This type of activity is not productive. It neither serves to benefit oneself nor society at large, so it is basically just a waste of time that could have been spent on activities of substance. So, I would say that the compulsion to engage in this sort of activity is to our ruin.
On the other hand, when people socialize genuinely they may learn more about themselves and the world around them, in which case it can benefit them quite profoundly. Additionally, when people socialize in order to pursue a shared objective then it can be quite beneficial to all involved, and some objective might be accomplished that could not have been accomplished by individuals each acting independently. In these cases, I think that our social tendencies are beneficial to us. |
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| tu_face |
| quote: | Originally posted by Arbiter
I don't think instinct is an accurate term for what you're describing, because the value judgment that says that being alone is worse than with your girlfriend is more likely the product of cultural assimilation than any instinctive preference. |
i disagree. wanting the company of a female is one of the most basic instincts you can get when it comes to the human race, it is something that governs nature as a whole. although i do think that it was a bad example of what he meant...
but, i ain't no sociologist, its all a bit complicated :p |
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| Arbiter |
| quote: | Originally posted by tu_face
i disagree. wanting the company of a female is one of the most basic instincts you can get when it comes to the human race, it is something that governs nature as a whole. although i do think that it was a bad example of what he meant...
but, i ain't no sociologist, its all a bit complicated :p |
You raise a good point.
Reproductive instincts are certainly a major contributor to our behavior. However, human interaction usually goes beyond the bare minimum required for reproduction. This additional social interaction is of questionable origin. There are certainly many other species which exhibit what appear to be instinctual social relationships... but in these species the behaviors tend to be highly predictable and near-universal, whereas humans exhibit highly unpredictable social behavior.
The main point I was trying to get at is that the preference of social activity to solitary activity as a general rule is probably a cultural trait. It is likely that reproductive and other social instincts do exist, but such instincts generally serve a very obvious biological function, whereas most human social activity which is still valued as "better" than being alone does not appear to serve any such biological function. |
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| davinox |
the reason for our seemingly complex social behavior is all instinctual.
we have similar instincts to animals, only a more developed social system. do you think its smart to try to destroy the need for these drives? |
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| tu_face |
i think human instincts are different to animals, in that we constantly change our own behaviour and social attitudes to suit our environment and/or situation. this is what primarily sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, we can adapt, change and succeed.
maybe this is an underlying instinct that rules them all? if we destroy this then we will no longer be able to advance ourselves anywhere near as well, and that is bad. |
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| DJAntSmith |
| quote: | Originally posted by tu_face
i think human instincts are different to animals, in that we constantly change our own behaviour and social attitudes to suit our environment and/or situation. this is what primarily sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, we can adapt, change and succeed.
maybe this is an underlying instinct that rules them all? if we destroy this then we will no longer be able to advance ourselves anywhere near as well, and that is bad. |
I disagree. I think our human instincts are very similar to animal instincts. These are the instincts that have been with us since early man.
It is our social influences that change our behaviour and attitude towards different situations that arise. I do agree that what sets us apart from the animal kingdom is our ability to adapt. Although I would say that these are more "learned instincts". I'm sure there is a correct word for them but not sure off the top of my head. These are the type of things that you describe as second-nature.
For example driving a car can be described as second nature if you have done it for 20 years. Also, say you are driving your pregnant and injured partner to the hospital and you are driving at 100mph to save both their lives and somebody stepped out in the road, you would still brake or swerve possibly endagering your partner and offspring, even though your instincts tell you that you should get the hospital at no cost. The reason we do swerve is because society tells us we should. We should be considerate for someone who has done no wrong.
It is not an instinct that would tell us to swerve and possibly kill yourself, your partner and offspring if it is to follow evolution theory. |
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