cavfancier wrote:Hmm, I should expand....what separates us from the animals is cognition, and the ability to envision and create a balanced world. Yet, we more often than not give into our base instincts, which is counter-evolutionary, not progress. Although we have the capacity to grow beyond that state of 'natural' being, it seems that over and over, we choose not to.
What makes our cognition different than our base insticts? How can we grow past "natural" being unless our mind is "unnatural"? There are other intelligent animals in the world, some with as many brain cells as us. Some especially intelligent animals are: octopi, dolphins, parrots, and pigs. Dogs and cats aren't bad. I don't think one can presume the intelligence of an animal without a standard test that doesn't involve human language.
BoGoWo- it is not necessarily unsuitable for civilization. There are certain situations in which moral conduct and partnership help an animal group to survive. Humans used to live in tribes of about 150, co-operating with hunting-gathering, cooking, etc. civilization evolved out of this. If civilization helps the most members of the species survive, than civilization is in accordance with nature. Usually this would take place through mutual benefit provided by being in a society. If the society is no longer beneficial to the individual, they abandon that society, if possible. Same is true in nature.
Examples of civilization in nature: ants, prarie dogs, wolf packs, canadian geese.
About your example: the fact that the people who were stupid enough to go into a bank that kept killing people would be the feedback control: either the entire population would die, or the people stupid enough to enter the bank would die, not passing on their wanting to go into death bank genes to offspring. Then the bank would cease to exist, having no more customers.
. Dolphins also have sex for pleasure. 