2. Does human instinct always predominate?

Let’s assume for one second that this scenario is possible and disregard reality. This is a fictitious scenario but I am still interested what people think about the possible outcome.

Two newborn, a boy and a girl, are left on a deserted island with absolutely no one taking care of them, talking to them, feeding them or educating them. In this fictitious scenario, they are able to find food, shelter, water and sleep, the 4 basic necessity for every human being.

Assuming again that those children have now reached puberty, are healthy, have no physical challenge except for the lack of parental love and affection. How would they develop?

Would their basic instinct take over, even though nobody ever told them, showed them or educated them?

Could they find love for each other? Would they know how to procreate since they have never had access to any visuals or sounds made by others?

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

SomeMichGuy · M

This sounds like a classic discussion question from the late 19th century; men in their clubs reading the news, smoking cigars / pipes, drinking, dining/having tea, and discussing matters of both real and speculative natures...

Assuming that your givens result in them getting to puberty, I think the sex drive and curiosity could easily create a situation where they would discover copulation, and eventually get the girl pregnant.

I would classify that as a broad instinct across most any species, not confined only to humans.

[Whether or not the birth is successful is a different matter.]

An important aspect of note in the "Nature v. nurture" discussions is that the rôle of the individual's own determination / drive is typically ignored, in spite of being a really important third element (moldable by both Nature and nurture), a non-trivial oversight.

Stephie · F

@SomeMichGuy That's an interesting point of view and I tend to agree that instinct would predominate, even if none have been exposed to human intimate relationships. You cannot get rid of that kind of instinct in just a few million years.

SomeMichGuy · M

@Stephie A few million? How about a few tens of thousands, at best?

Stephie · F

@SomeMichGuy Nah, the first documented representative of the genus homo dates back over 2 million years ago. If you take Homo Erectus as a reference, then you are correct with the date (+/- 100 years 😄)

SomeMichGuy · M

@Stephie Yes, but that likely wouldn't be the start of a culture where one might suspect some sort of disconnect with inborn instincts.

Stephie · F

@SomeMichGuy That would be interesting to find a scientific article about procreation instincts. I don't think that PornHub is a good reference here.

SomeMichGuy · M

@Stephie Not sure where THAT's coming from, but the assumption that the first sign of Homo is a sudden cutting of the cord with Nature seems pretty improbable.

Stephie · F

@SomeMichGuy you are most likely correct.