Wordsmith Talk |
About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us | |||
Register Log In Wordsmith.org Forums General Topics Q&A about words interspecies affection/nurturing
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 2 1 2
By "we" I mean the human species in general. The fact that some of us may not have the power of speech does not make that subset less human. We have no idea what love is and it's only the fact that we can talk about it that makes us think we somehow understand what it is. The big thing we really thought had over the other animals is that we have a consciousness of self and other, although we are starting to see that some other animals have the same level of consciousness.
I don't assume you accept this criteria. It seems a likely explanation that "we" in general hold it, even though you and I as individuals may (or may not).
Human love is real because there are many members of the set of humans who can use language to communicate about it. Animal love is not real, because they cannot do the same and therefore the love they appear to express must merely be a programmed response.
An assumption is that whether the expression is a "programmed response" as opposed to an act of "free will" determines the "reality" of the love. Another assumption is that "programmed response" and "free will" are mutually exclusive.
There was a movie a few years back called A.I. that explored this idea. (I liked it, but I suspect most people would find it overly long and boring.)
Are human children capable of love before they develop language?
Depends on your definition of love, I suppose. Probably not.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
I think if love is a reflection of our outward expression then yes it does exist whether we realise it or not.
There was a movie a few years back called A.I. that explored this idea.
Good movie. Based on a story by Brian Aldiss called Super-Toys Last All Summer Long.
I do believe that you are talking about filial imprinting, in which a young animal acquires several of its behavioral characteristics from its parent. It is most obvious in nidifugous birds, which imprint on their parents and then follow them around.
It was first reported in domestic chickens, by the 19th-century amateur biologist Douglas Spalding and was rediscovered by the early ethologist Oskar Heinroth, and studied extensively and popularised by his disciple Konrad Lorenz working with greylag geese.
Lorenz demonstrated how incubator-hatched geese would imprint on the first suitable moving stimulus they saw within what he called a "critical period" between 13–16 hours shortly after hatching. Most notably, the goslings would imprint on Lorenz himself (more specifically, on his wading boots), and he is often depicted being followed by a gaggle of geese who had imprinted on him.
Filial imprinting is not restricted to animals that are able to follow their parents, however; in child development the term is used to refer to the process by which a baby learns who its mother and father are. The process is recognised as beginning in the womb, when the unborn baby starts to recognise its parents' voices. (courtesy of Wikipedia Filial Imprinting )
This occurs in a lot of animals, take for instance the cuckoo - it is brought up by birds of a different species as they are under the impression that it is their own chick
----The next sentence is true. The previous sentence is false----
Depends on your definition of love, I suppose. Probably not.
I think love and fascination are closely related sensations. I'm quite sure that I loved grasses and flowers before I loved my mother or brothers and sisters or pets. A young child can miss and long for its parents during a period of separation, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with love.
I still haven't found word for 'cross-species relationships'
meanwhile I found this....and had to post it.
WHAT ??
They actually spoke hey/hi?
I thought they'd text it.
----please, draw me a sheep----
touche
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Moderated by Jackie
Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics Forums16Topics13,913Posts229,423Members9,182 Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now 0 members (), 1,033 guests, and 3 robots. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days) A C Bowden 23
Top Posters wwh 13,858Faldage 13,803Jackie 11,613wofahulicodoc 10,593tsuwm 10,542LukeJavan8 9,922Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210AnnaStrophic 6,511Wordwind 6,296of troy 5,400
Forum Rules · Mark All Read Contact Us · Forum Help · Wordsmith.org