Lexi,

I have to disagree with you on that one.
Man, I believe, relies to a great extent on instinct.

Language, it would appear, is an instinct. As Steven Pinker writes in his book, "The Language Instinct", there are stone- age peoples in the world but there are no stone-age languages. The tribesman with his spear in his hand speaks a language every bit as sophisticated as the man who carries his briefcase into the office.

Look at a three year-old children and marvel at their language skills - they instinctively know the grammar (not the usual grammar) of language. In a sentence, they intuitively understand where the principles and parameters of phrase structure in a sentence.

Try and get hold of Pinker's book (in the orange Penguins). I think you'll find it fascinating.

It's a shame I haven't got the editing instinct : )

The second last paragraph should read:

Look at three year-old children and marvel at their language skills - they instinctively know the grammar of language (not the usual grammar we learn in school).
They intuitively understand the principles and parameters of phrase structure in a sentence.

*Yabby, you need to do more reading*

Lol Lexi. I will agree that when it comes to reading pop
psychologists preaching Kumbaya outcomes, you would be way
ahead of me. It was similar psychologists who made rash
and false claims about the Tabula Raza theory. But when
it comes to how the human brain functions and how the brains
of other species function, I'd most likely be years ahead of
you.

But I'm not seeking anthropocentric solutions as you are.
I read your first bit again, its full of holes.

Perhaps we can bog ourselves down in semantics here, but
when I refer to instinct, I refer to the genetic input of
human behaviour. Nope, its not the same for all of one species,
because we don't have identical dna.

What % is genetic, will always be argued about, roughly half
is commonly accepted as not far from the mark.

Humans have a complex endocrine system for instance and every
thought, every feeling, every action that you undertake, is
affected by that complex brain chemistry. You are not going
to wish it away by learning. Genes matter and are part of
every action that you undertake.

The Vatican has tried for 2000 years to keep its priests
celibate, they have failed miserably. Gays remain gays, no
matter how much they are taught.

But I grant you, the pop psychologists with their own agenda
preach that by mere education you can change the world and
that love will solve it all. Perhaps they should go back
and study some basic biology.

BTW Poirot, if you dust off your tv and tune in to SBS at 7.30
WA time, like tonight, pretty soon, there will be a programme
about anxiety.

As it happens, we'd be one of the most anxious species on the
planet, for we are the only one to have to invent religions,
to give us perceived certainty.

According to the programme, its a major problem, with something
like 15% of population suffering from anxiety disorders in any
one year.

So perhaps we should be relabeled as the anxious species,
despite all that protection from nature.

yabby quote..""when I refer to instinct,..
I refer to the genetic input of human behaviour."'

that might sound explanitory
but is far from inclusive or conclusive

genes arnt as simple as you got them
and thus you got what the genes is presumed to do

importantly genes NEED to be switched on
need stimulation to generate its rna instructionms
..needs the receptors to accept and proces..[the rna]

needs apropriate stimulation
instinct cant wait till the genes switch on
it needs be instant

instinct is much missunderstood
[we are being too clever by half claiming genes as any form of accurate answer]

a bird sitting in a nest for 8 weeks
will have felt tasted smelt it intimatly
thus
will instictivly seek the same comfort level
the origonal particular parental nest supplied..

it will seek to achieve the same comfort
[by hit or miss method]..till it works..
till it atracts the right mate or whatever]

""its not the same for all of one species,
because we don't have identical dna.""

dna has little to do with it
its environment ,maturity and life events
that ultimatly stimulates a gene into activation...

""What % is genetic, will always be argued about, roughly half
is commonly accepted as not far from the mark.""

any evidence?

""Humans have a complex endocrine system
and every thought, every feeling, every action that you undertake, is
affected by that complex brain chemistry.''

AND DETERMINES IF A GENE GETS ACTIVATED
OR NOT..[damm cap loc]

but season determines much
[think of apple 'season'..or mating season]

environment determines much more
[the right mate food nest material]

even coral
spawning at the right moment of moon-rise

without all that being right
the genes dont matter a damm

""You are not going
to wish it away by learning.""

you cant avoid everything having its season
[cause/affect]

""Genes matter and are part of
every action that you undertake.""

not as much as your trying to make others believe
genes determine your breed /species/sex/type[gene-otype]

but instinct is mostly..learned/earned..
[the hardway]because..it worked ...the last time

Yabby,

My televisual therapy is coming along nicely - I watched two programs last night : )

Regarding the one on "anxiety" - it seemed to me that all the people who spoke were anxious about their interactions with other humans.
The seat of their anxiety seemed be how they were perceived by their fellows, how they would be judged and how they valued themselves - self worth.

It's interesting that when natural threats are removed (to a great extent) that human anxiety then becomes fixated on alternative (perceived) threats.

The program following it was interesting - he went down 2 kms into the ocean in that sub - and there was abundant "life".

OUG

The definition of an instinct is that it that it demonstrates behaviours or responses that are unlearned.
A baby crying and its urge to suck is instinctual
Our penchant for fatty foods is instinctual. Our ancestors knew that it was beneficial to lay down fat as it gave them a better chance of survival - our common rejection of bitter tasting food is instinctual.
Even gambling is tied to our instinct for risk taking.

I think a lot of instinctual behaviours are obscured by our advanced state of development.