Do wild animals (or domestic for that matter) ever do anything purely for the aesthetic value of it? Just because it looks cool?
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LAKE CHAMPLAIN
THOSE WHO LIVE IN VERMONT, AS ME AND MINE DO, HOLD THE EASTERN SHORE IS THE BETTER OF THE TWO, BUT EVEN WE CONCEDE NEW YORKERS HAVE THE BETTER VIEW
9 comments:
Well lions roar and cats stretch out too look bigger than they are when threatened.
But this is mostly instinct, like when we raise our hands to protect our face if struck at.
On a personal note. I think that when Bulls paw the ground before charging...I think they know full well that is the coolest non-verbal in all the animal Kingdom -humans included- and they do it with enough panache that we must all agree...
"That is so cool"
Peacock maybe. When its fans its tail to excite the female it located.
But human is an animal. Wild and domestic.
Just because the bull and the peacock do things that are aesthetically pleasing does not mean they do them purely for that purpose. This question is impossible to answer (although I lean toward 'no') because no other animal is (at least currently) able to explain its motivations in a manner we can understand. All speculation on the subject has to be, by definition, anthromoporphic.
Anthropomorphic, yes. You're right, Steve.
It's funnier to imagine their lives as human beings... Don't you think so?
You want to break the atmosphere? :)))))
I list the bull and its action because it is not the result of its physiology. A peacock's spread is like chameleon changing color...they do it as a result of them physically executing something attached to their anatomy.
A Bull that paws at the earth does so using hoofs that are designed primarily for walking (or trotting).
A dog wagging its tail, does so in various emotional veins...usually through the vein of content. This is subconscious. Their tail is primarily used to relay what it is thinking.
The Bull, however...that action is silent (unlike a roar), unusual for its body (unlike the peacock) and pre-meditated.
Before fighting, I think you'd be hard pressed, to find another animal that does something so visual that isn't the result of hair standing on end or fecal matter being thrown...
I'm beating this to death, but one last point. The only other instance I can think of an animal pawwing at the earth is when a horse is taught to count.
This is a learned function and not instinctual. Similarly, I imagine, Bulls know that what they are doing is algebra for the animal kingdom.
You like it, Steve.
You like my convoluted, feeble argument. If the argument i just presented were a girl you would find her fit to marry.
You like it.
ridiculous, jobias. i would contend that human beings are the only creatures, wild or tame, that have an asthetic sense, and see an asthetic value in the world.
knowing beauty is solely the feat of a creature with a soul.
Animals have a short list of things that govern all of their activities. Food, reproduction, shelter, defense, and, in some animals (wolf, lion, gorilla), social standing. In order for an animal to do something that is uniquely aesthetically (am I spelling that correctly, please correct me if I am not.)pleasing it can't meet any of these needs. It must also be observable. If a bull's pawing was aesthetic expression it would a dance os some sort? The pawing of the bull is a rather feeble and tortured support for your argument because it is clear that the Bull does this to meet a need on his list. Also, the action is not unique to that bull. All bulls do it. It is not unique to any specific bull. Because all Bulls do it I would posit that it is a compulsive instinctive response. I agree with Steve, that we can not ever know with certainty what motivates an animal, and I also lean towards no on this question, but there is one animal that gives me pause. Why does the pack rat steal shiny things and secret them away to his nest. Food? no. Shelter? no. Defense? no. Sex? I don't think so. Social standing? Hmmm... nah. What is the deal with the pack rat. Could it be that it just finds shiny things beautiful. Is it like "Cool shiny thing! I will take this back to my nest so I can admire it all the time." Until this is explained to me this question remains an open one for me. There is probably a biological or instinctual reason for the Pack Rat's behavior. I think it is highly unlikely that animals are endowed with an appreciation for artistic expression.
Okay Marty Stoufer.
And a Parrot mimics why?
J'attends impatiemment la question du jour, Josh!
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