Instinct

After thinking about if people were born with knowledge or not, just simply
thinking about instinct made me wonder why would anything have that type
of knowledge? What would cause somethings to be programmed in and others
not?

Thoughts?

Originally posted by KellyJay
What would cause somethings to be programmed in and others
not?

Thoughts?

Different attributes ~ including faculties and capacities and changes programmed to occur in the future ~ all integral to a being's evolved hard-wiring. Perhaps.

I don't think people are born with knowledge, but rather are born with fear and a desire to explain the world around them. (To make it feel safe).

'If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.'

Voltaire

Originally posted by KellyJay
What would cause somethings to be programmed in and others
not?

Thoughts?

A dislike of mother's milk is not a good thing to have
programmed in. Any baby with that "programming"
would not survive and therefore not pass on its genes.
Babies like mother's milk.

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
I don't think people are born with knowledge, but rather are born with fear and a desire to explain the world around them. (To make it feel safe).

'If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.'

Voltaire

I'm not trying to talk about human instinct, animal would be fine.

Originally posted by KellyJay
I'm not trying to talk about human instinct, animal would be fine.

What aspect of spirituality do you think talking about animal instincts will illuminate?

Originally posted by KellyJay
After thinking about if people were born with knowledge or not, just simply
thinking about instinct made me wonder why would anything have that type
of knowledge? What would cause somethings to be programmed in and others
not?

Thoughts?

what type of knowledge do you mean, can you give some examples?

Originally posted by KellyJay
What would cause somethings to be programmed in and others
not?

There are two basic factors:
1. Things that increase the chance of reproduction are more likely to get programmed in.
2. Things that can get programmed in by chance are more likely to get programmed in.

So under 1, we see quite a lot of behaviours including how baby animals behave in order to get fed, protected etc, feeding behaviours, including 'knowledge' of what to eat and what not to eat, mating behaviours.
Under 2. we see for example the tendency to copy and vocalise what others say and thus learn a language, but we are less likely to see instinctual language. We also see a tendency to like certain foods/colours/tastes etc rather than specific 'knowledge' of given animals/plants.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
what type of knowledge do you mean, can you give some examples?

How do they know specific things, like where they were born, go to the
water, for that matter what to do when hungry? Blank slates cannot know
these things, they must be for lack of a better word, programmed in.

Originally posted by KellyJay
After thinking about if people were born with knowledge or not, just simply
thinking about instinct made me wonder why would anything have that type
of knowledge? What would cause somethings to be programmed in and others
not?

Thoughts?

Instincts in animals

YouTube

Originally posted by RJHinds
Instincts in animals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipq7mZC5rIM

Thank you

Originally posted by KellyJay
How do they know specific things, like where they were born, go to the
water, for that matter what to do when hungry? Blank slates cannot know
these things, they must be for lack of a better word, programmed in.

There's "knowledge how" and "knowledge of". Giraffe's can run within about an hour of birth, humans just can't we have to learn to walk, this is "knowledge how" to do things. However, things like where watering holes are is "knowledge of" where things are. The knowledge how can be programmed, "knowledge of" cannot, at least in any evolutionary account, it's too specific. Any knowledge of God would presumably come under the category of "acquaintance knowledge" which is a different thing again.

Originally posted by DeepThought
There's "knowledge how" and "knowledge of". Giraffe's can run within about an hour of birth, humans just can't we have to learn to walk, this is "knowledge how" to do things. However, things like where watering holes are is "knowledge of" where things are. The knowledge how can be programmed, "knowledge of" cannot, at least in any evolutionary account ...[text shortened]... presumably come under the category of "acquaintance knowledge" which is a different thing again.

The how and of seems a good way of describing it. I'd also throw out that
learning to walk and run may be learned, but even that is impressive! Why
would there be a need to understand and learn that? Something within must
also drive the need to know and do!