in·stinct: 'in-"sti[ng](k)t
Function: noun
1 : a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason
2 : behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level
Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Do we really know what instinct is? Everyone has some sense of what it is, but for the concept to fully work with the argument of "instinct=insurrection", it is crucial that we all understand it in the same terms.
Regardless of its formal meaning, we typically use and understand the word 'instinct' to describe certain behaviors, habits, and rituals of humans and animals that are not learned, but that are somehow hard-wired into the brain and operate on a subconscious level. Because of this, we often use the term as a sort of catch phrase to describe any behavior or act for which we cannot perceive or ascertain an immediate or obvious cause. Therein lies a slight but important dissonance between the colloquial and scientific usage of the term. In other words, we mistakingly assign the cause a particular behavior to 'instinct', when in fact the true cause may be purely rational and calculated or learned from an external or societal source. We treat instinct as a scapegoat for what may be a lack of judgment, but then again, 'judgment' is based on ethics; a seemingly human construct.
In colloquial usage, and even sometimes in formal usage, we tend to limit 'instinct' to animals. Even the lexicon entry seen above refers to faunal systems, suggesting that a brain, or consciousness, is required for an organism to have 'instincts'. This is a flawed conclusion, however, as it is apparent that 'instinct' exists in all lifeforms, including non-cerebral organisms such as viruses and plants. For this reason, it is appropriate to say that any system has a set of rules engrained within it; behavior that is not learned or assigned but that is inherent to the diagram of the system.
developing incomplete list of instincts abstractly applicable to a system:
desire (action, reaction)
procreation (action)
fear (reaction)
attraction (reaction)
violence (action, reaction)
Function: noun
1 : a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason
2 : behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level
Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Do we really know what instinct is? Everyone has some sense of what it is, but for the concept to fully work with the argument of "instinct=insurrection", it is crucial that we all understand it in the same terms.
Regardless of its formal meaning, we typically use and understand the word 'instinct' to describe certain behaviors, habits, and rituals of humans and animals that are not learned, but that are somehow hard-wired into the brain and operate on a subconscious level. Because of this, we often use the term as a sort of catch phrase to describe any behavior or act for which we cannot perceive or ascertain an immediate or obvious cause. Therein lies a slight but important dissonance between the colloquial and scientific usage of the term. In other words, we mistakingly assign the cause a particular behavior to 'instinct', when in fact the true cause may be purely rational and calculated or learned from an external or societal source. We treat instinct as a scapegoat for what may be a lack of judgment, but then again, 'judgment' is based on ethics; a seemingly human construct.
In colloquial usage, and even sometimes in formal usage, we tend to limit 'instinct' to animals. Even the lexicon entry seen above refers to faunal systems, suggesting that a brain, or consciousness, is required for an organism to have 'instincts'. This is a flawed conclusion, however, as it is apparent that 'instinct' exists in all lifeforms, including non-cerebral organisms such as viruses and plants. For this reason, it is appropriate to say that any system has a set of rules engrained within it; behavior that is not learned or assigned but that is inherent to the diagram of the system.
developing incomplete list of instincts abstractly applicable to a system:
desire (action, reaction)
procreation (action)
fear (reaction)
attraction (reaction)
violence (action, reaction)
0 Responses to “musings on meanings 1”
Leave a Reply