3 ms·

Squirrels bury acorns they could eat that day so they can have food in the winter instead.

JoeAltmaier 9y ago
Squirrels don't even remember where they've buried the acorns. They just bury and dig, and with enough squirrels involved it works out. Its an instinct that happens to contribute to survival.
- robotresearcher 9y ago
  They sacrifice something - an abundant summer acorn - today to get something better - a scarce winter acorn - in the future. It's a clear counter example to the claim above.
  - JoeAltmaier 9y ago
    Except they don't mean to do anything. They're carrying an acorn, they pass a juicy spot, they feel compelled to stick the acorn in the spot. At no time does the squirrel think "I'll sacrifice this food now for food later!" So it's not reasonable to call it a sacrifice except metaphorically?
    - robotresearcher 9y ago
      How on earth do you know that? And what difference does 'knowing' make? Do they make the sacrifice or not? They clearly do.
      - JoeAltmaier 9y ago
        By reading, being educated. Its far to late to be mystified about how animals work. Its a couple of centuries of study by now, about their instincts and behaviors. And recall, 'understanding the concept of sacrifice' was the topic.
        robotresearcher 9y ago
        So you know how animals work! Excellent. Please build me a machine that does the same, to demonstrate your understanding. It can be slow and inefficient to make up for lack of equivalent materials and mechanisms. A simulated one will do. Or just explain how it works. I've been looking forward to reading that book. You'd sell some copies. Also, a nitpick: it's a few millennia of studies by now. For example you can read Aristotle on the topic from 1700+ years ago.
- eric_the_read 9y ago
  As it happens, not only do they remember, they actually organize their nut storage in geographic chunks: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/squirrels-can-store-the-same-kinds-of-nuts-in-specific-groupings/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/squirrels-can-sto...

Squirrels don't even remember where they've buried the acorns. They just bury and dig, and with enough squirrels involved it works out. Its an instinct that happens to contribute to survival.

robotresearcher 9y ago
They sacrifice something - an abundant summer acorn - today to get something better - a scarce winter acorn - in the future. It's a clear counter example to the claim above.
- JoeAltmaier 9y ago
  Except they don't mean to do anything. They're carrying an acorn, they pass a juicy spot, they feel compelled to stick the acorn in the spot. At no time does the squirrel think "I'll sacrifice this food now for food later!" So it's not reasonable to call it a sacrifice except metaphorically?
  - robotresearcher 9y ago
    How on earth do you know that? And what difference does 'knowing' make? Do they make the sacrifice or not? They clearly do.
    - JoeAltmaier 9y ago
      By reading, being educated. Its far to late to be mystified about how animals work. Its a couple of centuries of study by now, about their instincts and behaviors. And recall, 'understanding the concept of sacrifice' was the topic.
      - robotresearcher 9y ago
        So you know how animals work! Excellent. Please build me a machine that does the same, to demonstrate your understanding. It can be slow and inefficient to make up for lack of equivalent materials and mechanisms. A simulated one will do. Or just explain how it works. I've been looking forward to reading that book. You'd sell some copies. Also, a nitpick: it's a few millennia of studies by now. For example you can read Aristotle on the topic from 1700+ years ago.
eric_the_read 9y ago
As it happens, not only do they remember, they actually organize their nut storage in geographic chunks: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/squirrels-can-store-the-same-kinds-of-nuts-in-specific-groupings/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/squirrels-can-sto...