It's fascinating how just one tiny observation can set you thinking. Let's take Ravens as an example. A good while ago, an ornithologist working in Maine noticed an odd thing. He was doing a long-term study of ravens , and he was putting carcasses down and watching their behaviour. On one occasion, just one raven arrived at a carcass .... and one of the first things it did was ... it called loudly and repeatedly ...and it brought other ravens in. Now why would it do that ? Why ? Behaviourists assure us that ALL actions are selfish. Even if it looks as though some actions are "kind", or "generous" or "unselfish" it is a given that they are not. The "reward" for a supposedly "unselfish" act is in the frame. Always. As far as "science" is concerned, there's no such thing as "unselfish" act. One classic example is when drivers let you into a stream of traffic .. they don't need to, there's no law about it.... but quite often they do. But, deep down, even "unconsciously" they "know" at a subliminal level that they, in turn, want to be "let in" when they're in the side lane. It's a "mutual benefit" thing. BUT .... if the practice of "letting-in" falls away and becomes rare, then the "benefit" drops away and almost everybody will stop doing it. So .... why would that Raven , faced with a lovely big carcass all to itself, "tell" other Ravens about it? That was the question that Bernd Heinrich asked himself that frosty morning up in the snowy, cold Maine woods. It took him a long long time, and lots of experimental work, to find out the answer to his own question. Did it turn out to be a truly unselfish and generous act ? The very first one behaviourists have ever found ? I'm not going to tell you what happened .... I want you think about it for yourselves. You could start by thinking up more examples like my " letting-in" one. Us humans do loads of things that seem to be unselfish but ...... in the long term, they're not. Think of some, and work out why they're ultimately beneficial. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And .... I can thoroughly recommend his book. Why I'm unselfishly telling you this I don't know. Maybe, when you've read it, you will praise me for putting you onto it. And I'll get an inner glow of pleasure from that. And pleasurable experiences are good for us. They flood our brains with endorphins. Which can't be bad ! ...now, I hope you'll get a glow of pleasure from this. When I found that " gold dance" video, this was next to it .... it's got what I want ... a song, some birds " behaving" and a beautiful atmosphere ........
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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