Do animals have emotions?

[Superhobo]

Right now, there's increasing scientific consensus that some animals do, in fact possess some emotions, if not all. Myself, I've always thought that love made the most evolutionary sense. If a parent loves its offspring, then it is more likely to care for it, help it survive, and not abandon it.

What's your stance?

 

[raybia]

Right now, there's increasing scientific consensus that some animals do, in fact possess some emotions, if not all. Myself, I've always thought that love made the most evolutionary sense. If a parent loves its offspring, then it is more likely to care for it, help it survive, and not abandon it.

What's your stance?

Without a doubt. Its not even necessary for science to confirm this.

 

[The Original Bamfer]

Of course they do. It's not even debatable.

 

[hammy]

Yes. You can easily see emotions in dogs; they're happy, they're sad they're afraid, sorry, depressed, etc.

 

[Superhobo]

This does bring about a moral conundrum though. It's either, they don't have emotions, and everything we've done to them doesn't matter, because they're instinctive and don't feel anything.

Or, they do have emotions, and we're a horrible, horrible species.

Huh.

 

[Dark Carnage]

we're a horrible, horrible species.

I think that was proven a long, long, long time ago.

 

[hammy]

Forget the animals for a minute. Consider the horrors man has perpetrated on man. You should have known that already.

 

[Superhobo]

Forget the animals for a minute. Consider the horrors man has perpetrated on man. You should have known that already.

No *****. But, for the sake of a good-sounding post...

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Yes, this was proven a long time ago. It's the reason that certain animals are used when studying the effects of mood altering drugs.

 

[terry78]

Animals have two emotions...hunger and anger. When you feed them they're no longer hungry, just neutral. You piss them off, they're angry.

 

[TNC9852002]

I guess it all depends on what the emotion is.

-TNC

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Animals have two emotions...hunger and anger. When you feed them they're no longer hungry, just neutral. You piss them off, they're angry.

That's not true. We know for a fact mice can feel depressed, for example.

 

[Majik1387]

^That's a ******ed way of thinking. Their only emotions are hunger and anger? I thought you were smarter than that.

 

[Superhobo]

Animals have two emotions...hunger and anger. When you feed them they're no longer hungry, just neutral. You piss them off, they're angry.

That's ludicrous. What about the animal in my avvy? For months on end, they cooperate willingly with each other, to survive out in the Antarctic winters. It's not about hunger either: the dudes don't eat for upwards of three months.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

No, and they don't feel pain either.

 

[SuperFerret]

Having worked with animals for the past six years and having lived with cats for as long as I can remember, I will tell you that without a doubt animals have emotions that are as varied as ours. The emotional range depends on how intelligent the species is. Goldfish aren't terribly emotional at all, but an octopus will literally play when happy and sulk when depressed. Dogs and cats will show a whole rainbow of emotional states, from simple ones such as joy and sadness, to the complex such as love and hate. Dolphins, some parrots and chimps have been proven to have emotional states that are nearly identical to humans, with the ability to express highly complex emotions, such as shame.

 

[SuperFerret]

No, and they don't feel pain either.

Go kick a bear in the balls and tell me that.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

Nevermind, it's INSECTS that don't feel pain. If they did, they'd scream like everything else.

 

[Superhobo]

No, and they don't feel pain either.

Get shot.

 

[YsoSerious]

NO- Animals have no emotions.They are cybernetic killing machines from the future sent to kill anyone named Sarah Conner.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Nevermind, it's INSECTS that don't feel pain. If they did, they'd scream like everything else.

You need vocal cords to accomplish that, doesn't mean they don't feel it.

 

[SoulManX]

Yes they have emotions...I believe they have a soul as well

 

[Poetic Chaos]

NO- Bears have no emotions.They are Godless killing machines from the forest sent to kill everyone

fixed.

 

[Dark Carnage]

Elephants even grieve.

fixed.

Where have I heard that before?

 

[terry78]

I'm sure they do have emotions, but a lot of times there are animals that will seemingly just go crazy and into defense mode for no reason whatsoever, even if you were kind to them. You can't read them all that well, it's mostly trial and error.