What Do We Mean By 'Survival Instinct'?
I have heard people say: that is a survival instinct but i am yet to fully grasp what they mean by that sentence. It appears they are saying it is an instinct that comes naturally from man when he feels threatened or he is in danger.
Survival instinct is the ability to know what to do to stay alive. If you have been in a desperate situation that you have no choice other than to protect yourself and survive, you will understand that what to do comes naturally. Most times, the solution to apply does not come as a well planned one but one that happens through 'trial and error'.
Our environment have thought us about risk, danger, fire, cold etc. This has stored in our brains. These often initiate a reaction from us when similar experience is about to occur. A flight or fight reaction is triggered in us which determines whether we run or fight to survive.
Whenever we feel threatened, our emotions are heightened and we think faster. This fear or anger determines what we do next. Our actions after the threat might produce a good result which suggests it was a pre-planned one.
Obviously, every man has a survival instinct which ensures his continuous existence on planet earth. If i come to you with a knife, for instance, you will react to seeing me with a knife pointed at you. Your brain calculates immediately the best thing to do to avert the impending danger which might result to death.
Immediately, you will start thinking about the next thing to do to stop me from stabbing you. You will consider 'flight' - running. At the same time, you will consider your chances of surviving such decision. Another thing is to 'fight' - stay and collect the knife. All these happen very fast because your emotion is heightened, blood is circulated to every part of your body and your heart beats very fast.
The above is a bit psychological. But my question as a philosopher is what triggers this survival instinct? Is it innate or learnt? Once the word 'instinct' is used, people immediately assume it is inborn, something that is not learnt but comes from within.
In this case, it is not inborn. A ten year old boy who knows how to survive in a jungle must have experienced similar reactions by his parent. We should not forget that little kids know nothing about the hotness of fire until they touch it. They learn this by experience (personal experience or from others). The survival instinct of such boy must have come from his environment.
Your ability to recognize that a danger looms whenever a knife is pointed at you is due to the fact that you have experienced such in the past. This triggers in you a reaction on how to avert the impending danger before you. It is not something that is inborn.
Do not get me wrong, i do not mean that survival instinct is a well prepared plan that is learnt but your reactions when you feel threatened comes naturally from your past experiences. This reaction is what we term the survival instinct of a man.
No human knowledge is inborn. There is nothing innate about the idea of God, Satan or survival instinct. We learn them in this world.
Thanks for your time. Your boy @smyle the philosopher.
In agreement,,
Considering d theory of natural selection,
Where nature selects the fittest...
Not to be controversial. But I beg to differ. I think that the survival instinct is born in every man. it's the reason why the eye blinks whenever a stray object comes along its part. These actions sometimes happen as relexes.
Some animals, like the snake, for example, can feel vibrations from distances away and that is their survival instinct to keep them from predators. Same thing with the chameleon an many other animals too numerous to mention.
Its nice reading your philosophy though
Nice one bro