🚀 go-pugleaf

A.S.Chamove@massey.ac.nz (A.S. Chamove) writes:

> If instinctive behaviour is only vestigial in humans then why do we still
> breathe when we are asleep, why do children commonly bond with their
> parents, why is sex so important, et cetera.  The whole science of
> Sociobiology suggests that instinctive behaviour is very important (but
> not exclusive of cultural effects).
> 
> Humans are not naturally computer users but the format used by computers
> is controlled by "human nature".  If computers communicated to us in
> binary, we would find this difficult to learn and understand.  Chimps are
> not naturally American Sign Language users, but they can learn and can
> teach it to their children.  Dogs are not naturally Seeing Eye Dog
> "users" but they can be taught.  Horses do not naturally jump 7-foot
> fences, but....
1/ Most animal behaviourists do not consider mechanistic physiological 
functions to be insticts ( peristalis isn't an instinct either is  it?)

2/ The bonding of a child to it's mother is a vestigial instinctive 
mechanism compared with such complex insticts such as a spider's web 
building or or complex mating behaviours such a a bowerbird's nest 
construction.
3/  All of the above examples are of learned behaviours that do not 
naturally occur. Humans seem to learn a wide range of mating patterns 
monogamous polygamous polyandrous. Has anyone ever taught a new mating 
behaviours to (say) a fish? ( A creature with very hard wired mating 
patterns)