Can Humans Tame The Animal Inside ?

[VNight2014]

I let my inner animal out a lot. It's a penguin!

[Pix]

The Angel ep that the argument was from is A Hole in the World...I'm pretty sure.

I'm pretty sure because it was a build up to when a scientist is slowly killed by a prehistoric Old One and IIRC she said, "Cavemen win. Of course the cavemen win." Those may have even been her last words, and typical of Whedon's style. I'll check later.

[Sylph]

Now, before you ask this question, you gotta ask yourself, what IS the 'animal' inside us? What defines it as an animal? I mean, I believe we all have our own 'animals' inside us, but I do not think that it is really 'in' us the way you described. I think the 'animal' inside of us are just the needs we have.... The basic stuff....the needs for us to survive. Yeah sure, humans has grown into a much more sophisticated species, but the stuff we do for our needs isn't necessarily 'primitive' or such. Is it primitive of me if I stole someone's last food source because I was hungry? Is it wrong of me if I was forced to kill to survive?

Well, I can imagine that you're drawing the comparison between beast now aren't you? Beast has to compete for food sources and etc. But if you ask yourself, why are beasts 'animals'? You have to remember , that the term 'animals' were created by humans...,and to say that things about 'animals inside of us' is not really that correct because if you think deeply about it, the term of being an 'animal' has void meaning. Beasts aren't animals because they have to compete for food sources or climb up the ladders, it's because it's a survival instinct.

So, no, there's no such thing as 'taming' the animals inside of us because there's no such thing. There is only instincts...survival instincts.

Sis, the Animal inside is a metaphorical term to try and equivalate or atleast make a comparison between the actions of humans and animals, so whatever an Animal does would apply to the statement, and does not really mean we act animalistic(usually), but merely exhibit traits that they do.

And some animals do steal for food; I.E Capuchin Monkeys, which is seen as a human like quality, so would it then be said that that is "the human inside" of them? :p

Also, many animals do not always rely on instinct per se, but observations and memory (Parrots). So rather than just survival instincts alone, there is a wide array of survival strategies and tactics(Orcas), which is often seen as a Human quality.

So humans are more in tune with animals than they care to admit. And it's not a bad thing.

Just Sayin sweets <3

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I do not see the instinct for survival to be an 'animal' quality. All life forms have programmed in their DNA the code to procreate, to survive until procreation is completed. Thus trees have some interesting defenses in order to make it to mating and creating baby trees as does the wolf and the deer. Even microorganisms have a built in 'sense' of survival of self and species.

I view the animal side of human nature to be the unchecked selfishness and self centered 'sins', such as gluttony, lust, greed... Where a person fails to balance out their hind brain with their fore-brain.

Humans are not a reasoning animal, they are an animal that has the ability to reason.

Humans are capable of rational thought. Few actually apply it all the time. Few appear to actually strive to temper their 'hind-brain' with their fore brain.

Take procreation as example. We all know that there are 7,119,908,705 (and mounting) human beings on this tiny ball of rock we call 'Earth'. Source: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Yet we find that each individual places their own desire for the 2.5+ brats they want to have where they do not temper the over all needs of the species with reason and either opt out completely from the gene pool, or at least stick with just adding one more hungry mouth to an overcrowded world.

They allow their animal instincts to take over and rule them, thus each day we see hundred of thousands of new brats being pushed out of wombs with no thought of the the long term consequences, nor the short term resource issues that one more hungry, screaming mouth actually means.

The world's problems are largely a symptom of a reasoning animal that refuses to apply that reasoning. Poverty can be abolished if we all used our reasoning over our animal greed. Starvation is not so much a resource problem as the greed and lust of power of individuals using those resources to hold power over others.

Violence is not a reasoning act, it is a blind animal raging usually for self serving interests - Wars are not started based on logic, but on the emotional aspects unchecked.

The Economic boom and bust was not a problem of rational applications of knowledge of how economics work, it was caused by self serving short sighted greed which lead to a system that just didn't work, and millions upon millions of individuals all bought into the greed aspect and caused the collapse.

I must conclude that an animal capable of reason would not be born without the will to utilize that reason, thus all of these issues and problems that humanity faces (caused by its animal nature) is a problem of ability, not willingness.

It would be horrifying to think that all humans have the ability, but lack the will to temper their animal nature with reason.....

[Sylph]

I do not see the instinct for survival to be an 'animal' quality. All life forms have programmed in their DNA the code to procreate, to survive until procreation is completed. Thus trees have some interesting defenses in order to make it to mating and creating baby trees as does the wolf and the deer. Even microorganisms have a built in 'sense' of survival of self and species.

I view the animal side of human nature to be the unchecked selfishness and self centered 'sins', such as gluttony, lust, greed... Where a person fails to balance out their hind brain with their fore-brain.

Humans are not a reasoning animal, they are an animal that has the ability to reason.

Humans are capable of rational thought. Few actually apply it all the time. Few appear to actually strive to temper their 'hind-brain' with their fore brain.

Take procreation as example. We all know that there are 7,119,908,705 (and mounting) human beings on this tiny ball of rock we call 'Earth'. Source: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Yet we find that each individual places their own desire for the 2.5+ brats they want to have where they do not temper the over all needs of the species with reason and either opt out completely from the gene pool, or at least stick with just adding one more hungry mouth to an overcrowded world.

They allow their animal instincts to take over and rule them, thus each day we see hundred of thousands of new brats being pushed out of wombs with no thought of the the long term consequences, nor the short term resource issues that one more hungry, screaming mouth actually means.

The world's problems are largely a symptom of a reasoning animal that refuses to apply that reasoning. Poverty can be abolished if we all used our reasoning over our animal greed. Starvation is not so much a resource problem as the greed and lust of power of individuals using those resources to hold power over others.

Violence is not a reasoning act, it is a blind animal raging usually for self serving interests - Wars are not started based on logic, but on the emotional aspects unchecked.

The Economic boom and bust was not a problem of rational applications of knowledge of how economics work, it was caused by self serving short sighted greed which lead to a system that just didn't work, and millions upon millions of individuals all bought into the greed aspect and caused the collapse.

I must conclude that an animal capable of reason would not be born without the will to utilize that reason, thus all of these issues and problems that humanity faces (caused by its animal nature) is a problem of ability, not willingness.

It would be horrifying to think that all humans have the ability, but lack the will to temper their animal nature with reason.....

What the heck BA, always upstaging me :p.

But very true. Infact, I think this pretty much answers the question and then some :3

[Tim18]

The Angel ep that the argument was from is A Hole in the World...I'm pretty sure.

I'm pretty sure because it was a build up to when a scientist is slowly killed by a prehistoric Old One and IIRC she said, "Cavemen win. Of course the cavemen win." Those may have even been her last words, and typical of Whedon's style. I'll check later.

Thanks for finding out for me.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

What the heck BA, always upstaging me :p.

But very true. Infact, I think this pretty much answers the question and then some :3

Old Age and Treachery always wins over youth and skill my dear....:biggrin:

[Pix]

Thanks for finding out for me.

Just on the off chance you were hoping I'd tell you what I found I'll share that yes, it is that ep, but it wasn't the last thing she said (close, and she fainted after saying it).

[Tim18]

Just on the off chance you were hoping I'd tell you what I found I'll share that yes, it is that ep, but it wasn't the last thing she said (close, and she fainted after saying it).

I forgot to do this earlier ,but yes I was hoping on the off chance you would share what you found,but anyway thanks for sharing.

[Lalo]

Can Humans Tame The Animal Inside ?

Short answer from the wolf.... NO!