Snakes, dogs, cats, horses-- anthropomorphism

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Why do people feel really happy on shrooms, and cry when coming down?

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This must be a chick thing. Wait, that's implying something. Maybe that females are more emotional, which is true. But, if that is true, then they are different from men. If they are different from men, with whom they are also so very similar, then the differences between women and reptiles, and the anthropomorphism thereof, must be even greater.

Based on this, reptiles cannot feel emotions.

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Originally Posted by wilomn

This must be a chick thing. Wait, that's implying something. Maybe that females are more emotional, which is true. But, if that is true, then they are different from men. If they are different from men, with whom they are also so very similar, then the differences between women and reptiles, and the anthropomorphism thereof, must be even greater.

Based on this, reptiles cannot feel emotions.

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:D

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Originally Posted by wilomn

This must be a chick thing. Wait, that's implying something. Maybe that females are more emotional, which is true. But, if that is true, then they are different from men. If they are different from men, with whom they are also so very similar, then the differences between women and reptiles, and the anthropomorphism thereof, must be even greater.

Based on this, reptiles cannot feel emotions.

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Ummm Wes, what type of logic is that?? :rolleye2:
Women differ emotionally from men. And women and men are similar. Therefore women are different from reptiles?????

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Originally Posted by starmom

Ummm Wes, what type of logic is that?? :rolleye2:
Women differ emotionally from men. And women and men are similar. Therefore women are different from reptiles?????

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Not JUST different, but even MORE different than we had first granted the possibility to.

If women are even more different from men than is usually recognized, then it is not a great leap to; therefore a woman is even more different from a reptile than a man, even though she is more different from man than generally assumed.

The more she is, different, the more she is, different.

See?

I get it--- though it is a stretch of Socratic logic ;)

What I don't understand is how some can say for a FACT that a snakes brain is not capable of producing emotions. We don't know everything! Granted, the snakes brain is different than a mammals or a human. We are still learning new things about the human body every day-how can we say that we know anything for sure about an animal who is not able to tell us if we are right or wrong? I understand the basics of how the brain of a human works, but I would not expect any other animals brain to work the exact same way. They are not humans... If the whole brain being different issue is what people are going off of then- DUH...they are not the same animal so why should the brain be the "same". Sometimes I wonder if people are led into the whole way of thinking that if you can't find it, then it must not exist! People would much rather say something doesn't exist, than admit that they are not able to figure it out.

Just my :2cent:

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Originally Posted by ZinniaZ

Hey there.
No rolly eyes necessary.

It is possible to have a conversation about the definitions, personal vs scientific of what exactly emotion IS. I'm not threatening your world view. I'm not saying you are wrong. I am questioning the definition itself. You say emotion is the chemical cascade. I say emotion is a construct, chemical cascade or NO. The chemicals are what we experience. I am questioning whether that experience is the only definition of emotion and whether what we define as emotion is in fact only a reaction to stress, to security, to fear.

People all over discuss anthropomorphism in all species of animals and believe (some) that no animals save hum,ans have the capacity for emotion. I challenge that. I challenge that humans have the monopoly on emotion and in fact whether we have actual emotion or of we have invented words only to set ourselves apart from the animals. We ARE animals. I believe that the concept of anthropomorphism is overzealously used.

You can talk about brain structure and chemistry. Yes the brains are different. But that does not mean that our concept of emotion, feeling, perception is unassailable. Is emotion instinct? Maybe. Is emotion anything but human made? Maybe not. These things are worth discussing without derision.

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If you are saying that emotion is not just a physiological process, then what is it? You are heading in an almost spiritual direction with this that is pointless to have a discussion about because you have nothing more to offer us than just your own thoughts and feelings. Thats great that you feel that way, but don't expect anyone to level with you when you can't provide any substance to back it up beyond your own thoughts. I can prove that reptiles don't have the parts of the brain needed to experience emotion as you define it. How can you even begin to support your 'feeling' that emotion might be more than a biological process? You are trying to argue the existence of something for which there is no tangible evidence for. The only 'evidence' that you've provided this far is your own anthropomorphism of snake's behavior....

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

You are trying to argue the existence of something for which there is no tangible evidence for. The only 'evidence' that you've provided this far is your own anthropomorphism of snake's behavior....

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Anyone else picturing a snake biting its own tail?

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

If you are saying that emotion is not just a physiological process, then what is it? You are heading in an almost spiritual direction with this that is pointless to have a discussion about because you have nothing more to offer us than just your own thoughts and feelings. Thats great that you feel that way, but don't expect anyone to level with you when you can't provide any substance to back it up beyond your own thoughts. I can prove that reptiles don't have the parts of the brain needed to experience emotion as you define it. How can you even begin to support your 'feeling' that emotion might be more than a biological process? You are trying to argue the existence of something for which there is no tangible evidence for. The only 'evidence' that you've provided this far is your own anthropomorphism of snake's behavior....

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reread what I wrote. The part of your quote that I bolded is the exact opposite of what I am saying. I did not say emotion is more than a biological process. I did not say I have a feeling that emotion is anything spiritual or undefinable. I, in fact, questioned the existence of emotions as we have chosen as humans to label them. I am not positing that snakes FEEL or LOVE or HATE. I posted this because I wanted to discuss, number one, the definition of emotion and wehther, as humans, we label things as emotions that are in fact nothing more than drives and instinct driven behavior. Number two, I was curious about whether a snake forum would have the same take on anthropomorphism as on the horse forum that I frequent, and three, because I thought it was interesting to compare the different processes of reptiles, domesticated mammals, and humans. Nothing more.

Please do not read more into what I have written than is there. You are misinterpreting my point of view.

And, I definitely did not start this topic to rabblerouse or cause argument. I thought it was interesting stuff to talk about.