instinct and culture?

Question

Yesterday, I had a very long conversation with my friend about culture and instinct. My friend claimed that they are two different things, while I on the other hand, claimed that culture and instinct are pretty much the same. I gave an example of the following...

Say someone is invading your land, and you find that defending it helps block the invaders, and so your outcome would be you preserving your land, right? Well, doesn't this become culture as well? Culture, to me, IS instinct, and instinct IS culture.

What do you think? Is there a fine line between instinct and culture, does it depend, or are they both the same exact thing? Elaborate.

Answer 1

Many would argue that instinct is SUPPRESSED by cultural norms. For example, a goat herder in Saudi Arabia might say that instinct drives him to have sex with his goats. But culture enforces decency acts to prevent him from doing just that. Instinct and culture are two separate concepts and cannot be mixed.

Answer 2

Instinct/following base desires tends to be recognized as the source of many problems (i.e. seven deadly sins). Culture, as part of civilization, works to control this so that we CAN live together. Yes, in some cases, instinct and culture are basically the same, though it is more often the case that one uses instincts to avoid being punished by his culture. However, as others have mentioned, culture often suppresses instinct for the sake of a social existence.

Answer 3

The example you give, about the instinct of defending one's land, stems from the self-preservation instincts, which can also be territorial. You may see it in some animals who defend their turf. It has nothing to do with culture.
There's also en element of reflex reaction in some of what you describe. Reflexes can be physical (as when the doctor taps your knee), but they can be psychological or instinctive. By their very nature, reflexes are predictable responses.
Even though in this case it seems your friend is right, your response to the disagreement, or your instinct, is to search for the truth. Congratulations!

Answer 4

That's an interest philosophy, I understand your thinking on that however. Looking at culture it is molded over the centuries by religion, beliefs, rulership, etc. this is what makes countries and cultures so diverse and what gives countries their identifying traits. Instinct for humans depends on 2 things - what is built into us by our creator eg. the need for food, water, shelter, companionship, love, justice, touch, inquisitiveness and many more plus the way our conscience is molded eg. in a tribe it may be the instinctive way to protect their members because that's the way they have been trained by their parents and elders from infancy and yes that is cultural as well, but in a democratic society things are different. Each household has their own ways and teaches them to their children, thus they will instinctively be moved to act the way they have had their conscience trained during youth. For eg. if a child grows up in a household where there is physical abuse it may be his instinct to automatically react violently when under stress., whereas another person would never even be tempted to react that way. A poor mother in an undernourished country might prostitute herself to feed her young, whereas many others in her position would never consider that. Animals have been given perfect instincts for survival by their creator. We with our minds have to develop ours with our sense of reason, education and desire. Our creator has given us an invaluable guide to help us do this The Bible, and Christ's example. So even though culture can help train conscience and instinct, instinct itself is separate from culture as it is soley the individuals response to events.

Answer 5

Instinct is something you're born with. Culture is something you learn. We human beings are so complex that it's not always easy to tell which is which. Preserving your land is kind of both. Man instinctively wants to be free, not to be invaded. But nationalism is part of culture, and it's taught to us.

Answer 6

When held in arms by any female, a baby even just minutes old will 'root' or turn its head toward her breast, seeking to latch on and feed.

It doesn't matter if she has any milk, whether she's wearing clothes over her breasts--whatever.

That is INSTINCT, or what a person will do as 'default' in any given situation. It has NOTHING to do with culture, which is collective behavior guided by learned experience.

Answer 7

I think that culture has to do with instinct and influence. But instinct is just instict.

Answer 8

Both, actually.

Each are the same in that they reflect the patterns in human thought. However the difference lies in how those thoughts are used because actions are dependant entirely on thoughts.

Answer 9

Your example is irrelevant, but much 'inctinct' can be created by one's environment.