How can you tell your BP likes you?

[mooingtricycle]

mooingtricycle give us a synopsis. What was it about?

Its far easier to look it up than have me explain it. Its extremely complicated, and if i tried explaining it, i would for sure mix things up. Wikipedia has a fairly detailed explanation of it though, if anyone is willing to read through it.

Basically, People see colored words/letters ( whole and individually) when they either hear the words spoken, or read them.

Some people Taste things when certain words are spoken, or read.

Its quite interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

[darkangel]

littleindiangirl I doubt if they overanalyze it. They feel a strong need to protect, and they do. I think humans are very much the same way, but we like to think we aren't. Hormones are very powerful, humans often use their brains to "justify" their hormone induced feelings.

A couple of years ago I got the chance to watch canadian geese raise their families, they are the most monogamous devoted creatures, such incredibly protective parents. If humans displayed those traits they would be considered morally sound, loving, wonderful and devoted people and all that, but when animals display the same traits it is often just called "instinct." I tend to think hormones have a lot to do with it in either case. : )

Yeah but don't you see the difference here?? We have the capacity to "overanalyze". A snake does what its genes tell him, and is never educated by anything but what its instincts govern. We're having a discussion about an abstract concept right now. My snake is probably lounging in his own poo with tumbleweeds sailing thru his little brain.

[mooingtricycle]

My snake is probably lounging in his own poo with tumbleweeds sailing thru his little brain.

LOL might want to go check that then!

[littleindiangirl]

littleindiangirl I doubt if they overanalyze it. They feel a strong need to protect, and they do. I think humans are very much the same way, but we like to think we aren't. Hormones are very powerful, humans often use their brains to "justify" their hormone induced feelings.

A couple of years ago I got the chance to watch canadian geese raise their families, they are the most monogamous devoted creatures, such incredibly protective parents. If humans displayed those traits they would be considered morally sound, loving, wonderful and devoted people and all that, but when animals display the same traits it is often just called "instinct." I tend to think hormones have a lot to do with it in either case. : )

Do humans have the instinct to take care of their young, or is it a drive? Do we have free will or not?

Do mother geese have a choice whether or not they feel like raising some young? Or are their brains and bodies telling them to take defend the small things following them everywhere?

Many times animals get confused as to what they are supposed to be taking care of, this may be a prime example that they don't know what their offspring actually is.

The best example I can think of it the lone lioness that "adopts" baby antelopes. The lioness is confused. She wants to eat the animal, sometimes she toys with it, but her motherly instinct wins and she follows and protects the young calf to death. They literally starve during this time. Eventually either the calves get away from the lioness, are preyed on by other animals, or die from starvation.

[Sonya610]

Yeah but don't you see the difference here?? We have the capacity to "overanalyze". A snake does what its genes tell him, and is never educated by anything but what its instincts govern. We're having a discussion about an abstract concept right now. My snake is probably lounging in his own poo with tumbleweeds sailing thru his little brain.

Yes, I see the difference. Though I am not sure in the big scheme of things it really does make a difference, we do the same things animals do we just have wordier justifications for those things.

I guess I just get a bit sensitive when people start saying "intellect" is what matters, or diminishing the unknown experiences of other beings. I am not saying you are diminishing anything, it is not directed at you, but when one can intellectualize that the "other" has no feelings or higher thought it can justify lots of bad things. For me it is not about how snakes perceive things, but about how people do; I don't stress over what snakes might do. : )

[Jenn]

Because he poops on you.

[Sonya610]

Do humans have the instinct to take care of their young, or is it a drive? Do we have free will or not?

Not all humans take care of their young either. Is it because they lack intellect? Or instinct? I am stepping out of this debate as of now, the free will comment is something that I don't want to go into.

Thanks for the interesting discussion. : )

[mooingtricycle]

i wonder, has anyone measured the brainwave patterns of snakes before, under different circumstances? Feeding time, breeding, egg laying, with others, alone, soaking, basking? Maybe it can enlighten, or confirm for just about anyone whos interested in this discussion.

[darkangel]

Yes, I see the difference. Though I am not sure in the big scheme of things it really does make a difference, we do the same things animals do we just have wordier justifications for those things.

I guess I just get a bit sensitive when people start saying "intellect" is what matters, or diminishing the unknown experiences of other beings. I am not saying you are diminishing anything, it is not directed at you, but when one can intellectualize that the "other" has no feelings or higher thought it can justify lots of bad things. For me it is not about how snakes perceive things, but about how people do; I don't stress over what snakes might do. : )

It does make a difference. We have the mental capacity to make decisions, debate, decide what we do with our lives, fall in love, we can think through the consequences of what we do. We're not guided through our lives purely by impulse. We have "wordier justifications," as you put it, because we have the capacity for spoken communication and we have science.

I'm not saying this makes us any better than reptiles, period. They were here before us and will likely outlive us. But the comparisons you're making just seem completely out of proportion. Compare us with primates, not reptiles. They are snakes and we are humans and the differences are too vast to make a neurological comparison.

[littleindiangirl]

i wonder, has anyone measured the brainwave patterns of snakes before, under different circumstances? Feeding time, breeding, egg laying, with others, alone, soaking, basking? Maybe it can enlighten, or confirm for just about anyone whos interested in this discussion.

Oooo, pull a House and hijack an MRI machine? I'm liking it!!