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[personal profile] gemfyre
Humans are very weird animals.

Every animal (in this brief essay animal means every animal bar humans) is equipped with something, be it a weapon, speed, camouflage, mimicry, whatever, that either helps it eat and/or stops it being eaten. Of course these attributes are also desirable in the reproductive stakes and attract mates as well.

Humans on the other hand. We're soft, fleshy, hairless, not awfully quick, no thick protective skin, no sharp teeth or claws, no camouflage. We've been granted abstract thought. We can outwit any predator or prey. But along with that we also got given emotions. Now this just totally does not fit in with the pattern of every other animal. Every creature utilises every ounce of energy resourcefully. If some protective mechanism ends up costing more energy than it may save, then evolution ditches it.

But us, we got emotions. Which makes our lives strange and aimless. An emotion is a severe waste of energy in biological terms. Due to emotions things can't just "be", we must waste more energy deep in thought trying to figure out something that doesn't have an answer. But the gift of abstract thought has also given us ways to get the excess energy to waste on those emotions. We learned how to plant crops, we could settle, make towns, cities, industry, pollution. We could now fight over huge territories with big guns. Due to agriculture we have excess food for a small part of the world and too little for the rest. Industry and territoriality have caused nothing but destruction. And we also have medicine so we can thwart evolution and live longer than we are meant to.

No other animal has these emotions. Things just are, they are just content to be. To get enough food to gain the energy to be the best of the species and reproduce your genes, so the species can improve.

All living organisms are but slaves to a ribonucleaic acid, be it our genes or a virus. The DNA or RNA requires it survive. So to do so it creates an organism about it to transfer it. That organism may be a simple bacteria or something as complex and bizarre as a human, as long as it does the job. Some bits of the acid chains decided to just float around and invade the organism built by another acid - what we know as viruses.

[well. That wasn't meant to be the conclusion, but that essay seemed to segue into my rant on Slaves To The Nucleaic Acid, so I chucked it in here]

(disclaimer - this is a view of the human race in general. On a personal level things are way way different. So don't waste your time being offended)

Date: 2002-11-30 08:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] terrycat.livejournal.com
But many animals do display emotions. In fact, it can be safely assumed that all mammals have at least basic emotions.

Date: 2002-12-01 12:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shrika.livejournal.com
There are only two feelings. Love and fear.
There are only two languages. Love and fear.
There are only two activities. Love and fear.
There are only two movites, two procedures, two frameworks, two results. Love and fear.
Love and fear.

- Leunig

I think animals would have feelings...

Date: 2002-12-01 08:36 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
BJ, how on earth do you get them impression non-human animals do not have emotions? That is an archaic concept created by humans in a bid to feel superior. I suggest reading "When Elephants Weep" By Jeffrey Masson & Susan McCarthy, "Dogs Never Lie About Love" by Masson or anything by Jane Goodall. Or alternatively stop looking at life through a microscope & a perti dish & go out & become friends with a non-human. You will learn alot more than you ever could in a classroom. Also if you get the chance do Murdoch units V106 or S206/S457 both are very good & debate the whole anthropocentric views our society & science holds.

yes I am cynical about traditional science :P

-LisA

Date: 2002-12-01 08:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gemfyre.livejournal.com
okay, enough people have commented that I feel I need to clarify.

I am certainly not denying the fact that animals have feelings and are intelligent. I've seen proof of both. But they do lack the emotions that humans have that causes humans to do stupid things that are most likely not good for them. Among other animals there is no wrong or right, there just "is" and survival.

I don't know how to explain it anymore. I love animals so much more than humans because they are nothing but resourceful and they don't have wasteful, hurtful things like emotions.

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