Do animals REALLY act by instinct?

Question

From humans' perspective, being more intelligent than animals, animals do act by instinct rather than free will and we humans act by free will. I believe we use our intelligence and reason in order to study animals behaviour and so we have come to understand that they act instinctively so my questions are:

1. Not from our own perspective but rather from animals, how do we know what animals think for themselves, do they also know that they act by instincts and not free will? or do they think that they act by free will too?

2. Couldn't it be possible that higher intelligent beings than humans, using their higher intelligence and higher reason see us humans acting by instincts rather than free will? maybe we think that we act by free will while some higher beings (angels, God etc) look down on us as mere instinctive humans.

What do you think?

Answer 1

1) We don't and can't (yet) know what animals think. To say that animals act by instinct is not to deny them freewill. If a lion sees two antelope both at the same distance but in different directions from him, he can choose which to chase.

2) Yes, that's possible. But they'd be mistaken

Answer 2

i think many animals act by both, instinct and will,,,,, perhaps free will,,,,, we humans are also animals after all, but yes we use our will much more then our instinct, but still its hard to tell the two apart sometimes,,,, and often we should rely more on our instinct,,,,,,, its just with our modern life, we can get by with using it less,,,,,,, but i do agree,, how do we really really know about alot of animals,,, and how do we know how other spirits not of this world view us,,,,,,,,i personally would think they would think we spend way too much time debating this issue, rather then being busy with our task at hand, which is doing the best we can with this life,,,,,, whatever skills we have,,,

Answer 3

There is but one will, God will. Believing himself to be separate and apart from God, man believes he has "freewill." Animals know and do the will of God, man calls this instinct. Animals sometimes ignore Gods will, sometimes resulting in being run over by cars or other difficulties. All mans problems come from the one "Sin." all others emerge from this sense of separateness. As the colors of the rainbow come from sunlight, So to all things come from God. See romans 1-19/21 all things from creation have been shown all there is to know of God even unto his eternal power and Godhead.

Answer 4

God gave the first man and woman “free will” in the Garden of Eden. Prof of this can be found in the first few chapters of Genesis.
God gave the first pair a choice, to eat of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge, would have brought on the death sentence.
They had everything they needed to eat.
They did not need that fruit to stay alive.
The issue was, will the first pair recognize that their life, and the lives of their offspring to come, depended on their obedience to God.
They failed to love Jehovah more than they loved the idea of independence.
Do you see any other creation of Jehovah’s building places of worship?
Or and animals subjecting themselves to an authority higher than man?
No, animals live by instinct, this is the only life they will have.
Only mankind was given a choice to live forever, and an opportunity to prove our stand on this universal issue of Sovereignty.

Answer 5

1. Not from our own perspective but rather from animals, how do we know what animals think for them selves, do they also know that they act by instincts and not free will? Or do they think that they act by free will too? Lower CASE ANIMALS ACT ACCORTING BY INSTINCT BUT SOME TEACH THEIR YOUNG USEING TRIAL AND ERROR TO HELP THEIR YOUNG SERVIVE.

2. Couldn't it be possible that higher intelligent beings than humans, using their higher intelligence and higher reason see us humans acting by instincts rather than free will? Maybe we think that we act by free will while some higher beings (angels, God etc) look down on us as mere instinctive humans. IN THIS CASE MEN HAVE BEEN CHOSEN NOT AS BEING HIHER OR LOWER BUT PLACED IN A REALM OF RELAITY IN THE SPIRIT EXISTANCE.
(Pro 20:27) The spirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
(Ecc 3:21) Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
IN THIS, THE SPIRIT OF MAN IS SEPERATED FROM THE SPIRIT OF ANMIMAL. IT SETS US APPART FROM THIS EARTH AND PLACES US IN A POSITION TO BECOME SPIRIT BEINGS OR AS SAID A CHILD OF GOD.
(1Cr 2:11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
(Rom 8:16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
(Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself (MAN) also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
(Rom 9:8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these [are] not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. SORT OF, THE GROUND OF WHICH HE PLANTS HIS SEED.
(Gal 3:26) For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
(1Jo 5:2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments

Answer 6

animals and humans i think both have idipendant thought but maybe not the same intelligence. humans being the concieted forms of life we are think animals dont have independant thought. personally i think that all animals including people were put on earth together and both have the ability to think.

Answer 7

Animals act on instincts. It also depends on the situation, accessibility, availability and affordability of necessities.

Answer 8

Obviously they have some but with a level lower than ares it would seem that way

Answer 9

yes, they can't reason, so they can't decide which is better because of a certain inclination, and their rationality is based solely on food, bodily preservation and propogation of their species.

Answer 10

no, they ponder the nature of God you imbecile