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Watching a video doesn't tell you what's going on internally. Here's how Dr. Livingstone describes being attacked by a lion: "Growling horribly close to my ear

Watching a video doesn't tell you what's going on internally. Here's how Dr. Livingstone describes being attacked by a lion: "Growling horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening." I'm not guaranteeing you'll have similar results in every attack by a predator, but just because soemthing looks horrifying doesn't necessarily mean it'll be experienced as such

sandworm101 2y ago
That is his memory of the event, something very different than the actual event. Being eaten by a predator is, evolutionarily, the most horrible thing that can happen.
- potato3732842 2y ago
  Contagious disease is typically worse from an evolutionary perspective since the damage is frequently not contained to one individual.
- griffzhowl 2y ago
  Yes, of course, a report of an event is a different thing from the event itself, but do you have more reason to suspect this report than an average one? It seems the difference between pain and a surprising lack of pain would be a salient feature of an experience, which we would normally take to be well-remembered. And I don't know why you bring in what is bad "evolutionarily". I was talking about how an animal undergoing the experience would feel it. Evolution is an explanation for why we see the diversity that we do in living things, but it doesn't confer an evaluation about what is better or worse. Evolution is fine with you being eaten by a predator, as long as, on the average, you've done enough reproducing first.
nerdponx 2y ago
Yes, if you're lucky you'll pass out or go into shock or dissociate. But you might not get lucky. I also wasn't focused only on predators. Actually being shaken around and ripped apart by a lion is probably not the worst way to go. You could die of a skin infection being attacked by maggots, or thirst, or drowning, or be picked at by scavengers while you are in the process of dying from something else. There are lots of ways to suffer on your way out. Moreover, there are lots of ways to suffer tremendously and not die for a very long time, remaining fully conscious and aware of your suffering the whole time.
- card_zero 2y ago
  I seem to remember that maggots get a bad rap and in fact make a grisly wound cleaner by eating any microorganism-filled dead flesh.

sandworm101 2y ago

That is his memory of the event, something very different than the actual event. Being eaten by a predator is, evolutionarily, the most horrible thing that can happen.

potato3732842 2y ago
Contagious disease is typically worse from an evolutionary perspective since the damage is frequently not contained to one individual.
griffzhowl 2y ago
Yes, of course, a report of an event is a different thing from the event itself, but do you have more reason to suspect this report than an average one? It seems the difference between pain and a surprising lack of pain would be a salient feature of an experience, which we would normally take to be well-remembered. And I don't know why you bring in what is bad "evolutionarily". I was talking about how an animal undergoing the experience would feel it. Evolution is an explanation for why we see the diversity that we do in living things, but it doesn't confer an evaluation about what is better or worse. Evolution is fine with you being eaten by a predator, as long as, on the average, you've done enough reproducing first.

nerdponx 2y ago

Yes, if you're lucky you'll pass out or go into shock or dissociate. But you might not get lucky. I also wasn't focused only on predators. Actually being shaken around and ripped apart by a lion is probably not the worst way to go. You could die of a skin infection being attacked by maggots, or thirst, or drowning, or be picked at by scavengers while you are in the process of dying from something else. There are lots of ways to suffer on your way out. Moreover, there are lots of ways to suffer tremendously and not die for a very long time, remaining fully conscious and aware of your suffering the whole time.

card_zero 2y ago
I seem to remember that maggots get a bad rap and in fact make a grisly wound cleaner by eating any microorganism-filled dead flesh.