Are animals robots?

Question

Are animals 'programmed' like robots or do they 'know' what they're doing? But maybe the question is moot since we humans are also somewhat programmed ... although seemingly a little less than the other animals.

Answer 1

Don't think of it as a logical, where either they know or they don't. Think of it as a spectrum. Some creatures obviously have a lot more freedom in their thinking than others. There are examples which can help you pin down ends of the spectrum.

But first we need to talk about instinct. An instinct is a lot like a sort of pre-written program. There are inputs (sensory stimuli) and there are outputs (responsive behaviour). Some instincts are fairly subtle, like those involving sexual stimulation and most human instincts for that matter (make no mistake - humans have plenty of instincts). Some are so complicated that its only through careful study that their instinctive nature was even discovered.

There's an insect, for example, that lays a nest of eggs in a small hole in the dirt, covers it up, and then tracks down some food for the young. The victim will be bound in a cocoon and set near the hole while the insect digs out the opening again. This seemed like a pretty complex series of behaviours, and for a while there was dispute over whether the insects were THINKING about these behaviours and just carrying them out like... well, robots. Scientists discovered, however, that if they moved the cocoon while the insect's back was turned - even just an inch or two - the insect would turn around, seal up the cave, and just revert to what it was doing earlier in the program: looking for food.

If we were putting groceries in our house, it would be ridiculous to think that moving a grocery bag to one side (but still completely visible) would cause someone to shrug and go back to the store. This is an important distinction between learned behaviours and instinctive ones. Learned ones are more flexible... the opportunity exists for more learning. Instinctive ones just happen, and you can cooperate or resist, but they seem almost to have a mind of their own, and not a very clever one (how many men think of their genetalia in that way!).

So one fairly apt way to think of the predominance of instinct in an animal is to contrast it with an animal's capability for learning and training. This is something most of us are much more familiar with.

Dogs and cats, for example, aren't domestic animals by accident - these creatures can learn enough about us to get along and perhaps even help us out. So too with pigs, elephants, horses, hawks, and to a lesser extent with many other animals.

And then there are many animals who are just kept in cages when they're kept at all. They may pick up things from time to time, but they can't be trained to any particular degree. And some are completely untrainable by pretty much anyone. Still, even worms can learn somehow to get through mazes.

Since most of these animals can learn, they must have some capability for thought. At the very least, the ability to remember and contrast their goals with what they're getting. Few (if any) animals can do this in a sophisticated way, but most of them seem to do it at least at a very minimal level, with the possible exception of some of the simplest ones.

So it would seem that many, if not most animals have some level of awareness about what they are doing, and even why. They may have some strong instinctual programming, but even this would not seem to be a completely insurmountable obstacle in most cases.

Answer 2

The behavior of all living things, humans and animals alike, are a blend of intrinsic factors (instinct, genetics, personality, etc) and extrinsic factors (environment, experiences, education, etc.) These two factors play off each other in complex ways making every being unique, even animals.

I agree with you that we humans generally rely less on instinct than animals, however we both know that there are people who react instinctively to situations instead of thinking them through.

Answer 3

Animals have instincts to do things, like when chamileans change colors, but they are not like robots. They can decide what to do, like to eat sleep, or go somewhere. They seem programed because sometimes we dont understand why they are doing what they are doing. I hope this helps!!!

Answer 4

Descartes thought so.

This hints at the problem of other minds, and indeed, the problem that gives rise to philosophy itself. How do we get outside of our own minds and know the world-in-itself.. and how do you know that I really have consciousness.. that I'm not just behaving AS IF I have consciousness.

Animals may be like robots in the sense that they can not conceptualize what they're doing like we do. They can't think twice about something. They may hesitate before, say, jumping on prey, but it's all instinct competition. It is the same way with humans, it's just that we have this curious ability to think about our own thoughts.. to think abstractly like that.

I think animals experience a succession of sensations. They just do what they do and can't think twice about it.

An imporant point is we very often tend to attribute humanlike emotions to animals (and other things).. we intuit their facial expressions as if they were fellow human beings and ascribe mental/emotional states to them on that basis. While I'm sure animals can experience general feelings of contentment, pain, surprise, etc. we have to be careful when ascribing to them complex humanlike emotions and dispositions.

Answer 5

That's a pretty big assumption that people "know" what they're doing. But I think we are just calling things Robots when we believe we understand them, and calling them Human when we don't understand them. It has more to do with our own ignorance than with their programming.

Answer 6

a concept units the tone for a marriage. If she's goofy and loves young little ones, it may artwork. yet while she looks to delight in, uh, wine, breakable decorations, and words with extra advantageous than 8 letters, she could want a diverse concept.

Answer 7

no animals are not robots! animals have feelings! they are a lot like us. and i really dont think we're like robots. i just think we create robots to be like us

Answer 8

i think that like humans, the knowledge gets passed from generation to generation. i don't think that they are robots.

Answer 9

i don't think they are animals. But good luck with that

Answer 10

they aren't assembled, they're not guaranteed with two year warranty.