Thinkabit,

There are many different ways to have sex - we don't all
do it in the same way or with the same people. Same as
not all mothers breast-feed. All of those things are
learned behaviours. And we can chose whether we do it or
not and how we do it, and with whom.

con't from previous:

I will agree with you though that we can override our urges. Eg, a mother may not breast feed her baby and let it starve to death. But I'm pretty certain that the basic required series of actions to let a baby suckle doesn't need to be shown to her in most cases*, although they can be taught/instructed how to improve their technique. Also, the baby "knows" how to suckle without actually being taught. A baby maybe taught to improve its suckling perhaps- but the basic action is inbuilt.

*Sometimes there can be complications and the mother does need help- there's even heath care professionals that specialize in this very endeavour- but generally the mother at a basic level just "knows" what to do.

Dear Mr Opinion,

It’s hard to say what is instinct since we rationalize. We find logical reasons for merely following our instincts. We still have the instincts of our tribal ancestors. It is instinctive to regard someone who looks different from us as the enemy since in tribal times he might be as members of other tribes might be the enemy. In multicultural, multiethnic Australia we have to disregard those feelings if we want to live together. I think racism and prejudice are built into us as a heritage from our tribal ancestors.

I think the belief in the mumbojumbo of religion in also built into us. If we look at such religious beliefs as life after death, virgins having babies, dietary laws and other nonsense with the cold light of reason they don’t stand up. They should be rejected. However, it kept the tribe together, and it still exploits tribal feelings.

Governments, businesses and advertisers appeal to our instincts to buy what we don’t need, equate cars with sex (sometimes there is a direct connection.), risk being killed or kill people we have nothing against and ignore our instincts that tell us it is nonsense.

“The greatest mistake that we can make, however, is to assume that principles which once were true remain true forever.” Edward A. Filene, December 9, 1936

thinkabit,

Not all mothers have this "basic level" that you speak of.
And many prefer bottle-feeding to breast feeding for a
variety of reasons. So breast feeding is not an "instinct".
But learned behaviour - especially when taught by a nurse
as to how to do it - or not. If it was "instinctive"
then every mother would do it. And they don't.

How on earth did go from what we think about the forum, to the topic of "instincts"?
Well seeing as we are here, I must add that there are some things which are instinctive in ALL animals, and that is the NEED for sex.
In what we generally regard as animals, (the ones that don't look like humans) the urge to have sex is instinctive, and in the animal kingdom, it is a natural and instinctive act to "rape", so as to fulfill or quell what is natural and instinctive.
For those little sensitive wall flowers out there, get out more often and you will see animals, like cats, getting raped as a matter of course.
Then you get another type of animal, like horses and cows, who instinctively and again naturally engage in a practice referred to as "presenting".
This is where the female, (cow or mare) instinctively know when they want to be "mounted", and they perform a ritual whereby they display their rear end or flaunt it, in the front of and close up to the stallion or bull.
Although in both cases the male takes control and instinctively mounts the female, without any objections, (not always though, the female might be having a bad hair day or who knows what).
Humans are no different, because we are animals too.
The men have not changed, in that they are always horny and given the opportunity will "hump"anything that moves.
Historically we also used to rape the women as a matter of course,
Heck, in Italy it was the custom, up until the mid 20th century, and still may be in some regions, to kidnap a girl and marry them, even though I imagine that is no longer the case or a very minority today.
One thing that is instinctive in women is the sudden urge to want to procreate.
Any woman who suppresses this urge is fighting nature, and we all know that never ends well.
Once a child is born, it follows that the mother is "naturally" and normally instinctively designed to nurture and rear them.

Foxy, breast feeding IS instinctive!
Those who choose not to don't because of some impediment.
If the impediment is physical, then it's a given, and the baby may be fed by, (I forget what you call them) another woman who is lactating and as it turns out women can begin lactating because of certain physiological and psychological triggers.
But the fact that a normal healthy (at least physically) woman chooses not to breast feed is an affront to nature, and a dereliction of duty to THE child.
Mothers milk is a necessary food for a baby, especially the first few feeds where the milk contains a special ingredient that is of utmost importance to the baby in many ways, not just assisting in the creation and strengthening of the immune system, but so much more.
I'm no expert, but an expert will explain the absolute importance of breast feeding, especially in the beginning, and that does not include expressing breast milk for later consumption.
The breast milk losses many properties by expressing and storage.
Nature designed it that the milk goes straight from breast to baby, that's it, end of!
It is a matter of record that a lot of the problem with kids AND adults of today, can be attributed to them being reared on anything but mothers milk, such as formula and the like.
You can prattle on aimlessly about how the baby formula's of today have all the vitamins and blah, blah, blah.
It's very simple, unless you can create that child's mothers milk, it's crap, not only is it crap, you are in fact harming the baby in stunting it's development and introducing health deficiencies that will affect it for the rest of it's life.
Not too many people want to be seen as the bearer of bad news and in fact be virtue shaming these so called career women of today, who stupidly think they can have it all and not have any consequences.
Another way of looking at it is that those early years are the most important, for the baby/child, not you!