I think my snake loves me

I can not believe I am adding to this thread. Ok I don't believe that love is a complex emotion. I have a hard time with the idea that animals have instinct and humans have emotions. Humans have instinct just like any other animal. If aliens were to describe us they could describe all of what we do as instinct driven. Now before anyone comes back with crap about poetry and song writing you should know that all of that is crap as well. Male peacocks have giant tails that they show to females to attract them. They do little dances with there tail out. They either attract a mate or a predator. All of the stupid complicated stuff we do is to get food, find a mate, protect our young or some other base instinct. Now if you have all those things covered then you do some random crap sure. Look at male wolfs that are not part of a pack. They run around and play and do dumb things unrelated to instinct as well. Emotions are nothing special they are just complicated instincts. The problem is that people refuse to accept that very complicated things can come out of emotions. Look at ants. These are some of the simplest of creatures and yet look what they can do with a hand full of nerve cells bunched together. Snakes have memory and instinct and out of that complicated actions emerge. Love is what we call a specific instinctive reaction to something. So if you want to say your snake loves you I am fine with that but keep in mind that its not the same love you feel. Dogs don't even feel the same kind of love that we feel. Their version of love is a mix of respect, fear and comfort. If you don't think so then chances are your dog is the pack leader of your family, I weep for you.

Humans don't have instincts. Look up the definition of instinct. We have many behaviors and drives that very closely resemble animal instincts, but when looking at the criteria of instincts, nothing humans do, in the entire species on the planet, can be labeled as an instinct.

So you keep your hand on a hot stove when you accidently lean on it?

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Humans don't have instincts. Look up the definition of instinct. We have many behaviors and drives that very closely resemble animal instincts, but when looking at the criteria of instincts, nothing humans do, in the entire species on the planet, can be labeled as an instinct.

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Humans are animals, too. We have lots of instincts - protect self and family, procreate, etc. I agree with Venom.

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Originally Posted by Egapal

I can not believe I am adding to this thread. Ok I don't believe that love is a complex emotion. I have a hard time with the idea that animals have instinct and humans have emotions. Humans have instinct just like any other animal. If aliens were to describe us they could describe all of what we do as instinct driven. Now before anyone comes back with crap about poetry and song writing you should know that all of that is crap as well. Male peacocks have giant tails that they show to females to attract them. They do little dances with there tail out. They either attract a mate or a predator. All of the stupid complicated stuff we do is to get food, find a mate, protect our young or some other base instinct. Now if you have all those things covered then you do some random crap sure. Look at male wolfs that are not part of a pack. They run around and play and do dumb things unrelated to instinct as well. Emotions are nothing special they are just complicated instincts. The problem is that people refuse to accept that very complicated things can come out of emotions. Look at ants. These are some of the simplest of creatures and yet look what they can do with a hand full of nerve cells bunched together. Snakes have memory and instinct and out of that complicated actions emerge. Love is what we call a specific instinctive reaction to something. So if you want to say your snake loves you I am fine with that but keep in mind that its not the same love you feel. Dogs don't even feel the same kind of love that we feel. Their version of love is a mix of respect, fear and comfort. If you don't think so then chances are your dog is the pack leader of your family, I weep for you.

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You had me until there. Male wolves that are not part of a pack "play and horse around" because they're testing the waters with each other. Play combat leads to real combat, and one day, the strongest of the male pack will challenge the Alpha of another pack with females. In the end, that play fighting is part of a greater instinct to find a pack to take over and procreate.

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Originally Posted by Melicious

You had me until there. Male wolves that are not part of a pack "play and horse around" because they're testing the waters with each other. Play combat leads to real combat, and one day, the strongest of the male pack will challenge the Alpha of another pack with females. In the end, that play fighting is part of a greater instinct to find a pack to take over and procreate.

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HAHAAH
That's freaking funny how he said hey play around and do dumb stuff.

This is almost like the debate had by philosophers over mind body dualism. If the mind and brain are one, then in fact snakes might not be able to feel emotion. however if emotion is more than just a serious of corresponding neurological reactions to stimuli, then we can never really know.

just my two cents.

TF

I guess we just need to teach our snakes to talk. Then they can answer the question themselves.

I KNOW that my bp loves me. She lays her head on my hands, gives me kisses and I feel the love. You can't convince me otherwise, sorry. And I love her back. She's as loving as any dog or cat I've ever had.

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Originally Posted by _Venom_

So you keep your hand on a hot stove when you accidently lean on it?

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It's called a reflex. ;) Don't confuse that with instinct.