opinions please

[nicki twigs]

hello there i am after some honest opinions please and i figured with you straight talking bunch this would be the place to come .i am currently studying sociology and for my dissertation i would like to know your opinions on When precisely did the evolution process change to differentiate ? for example an animal who is obviously excited and then indulges in their animal desires , we would not bat an eyelid and probably have a laugh over the fact and let them carry on , yet a human couldnt do the same? i mean surely we humans have more rights than an animal but in this case are we the ones that are truly kept in cages unable to freely do what nature intended ??

[MORELLO]

Yawn...

[Drisgirl]

Is it just because we have learnt perhaps to supress our natural desires because of 'society'.You can hardly tell a dog but in saying that Nicki - I think that is a good contencious issue to make them think in your dissertation.I understand where you are coming from because my son is currently doing his and you have to play Devils Advocate at times.If you want an opinion - then - I personally would think someone was a perv but would still laugh - out of embarassment maybe if I saw a human but a dog - well like you said you wouldnt bat an eyelid.

Best of luck Nicki and I personally think its thought provoking:)

[PinkFizz]

Haven't really thought about it till your question,but interesting all the same.

[andy-hughes]

I have no idea when this happened - probably too gradual a process to be pinned down to a specific period in time, but our society is far more complex than any animal's, and during this increasing complexity, we have developed a degree of privacy which no other animal posseses. It starts when we are toddlers, and all babies do this - they find a place to hide while they fill their nappy, and then reappear again. This inbuilt sense of privacy is something unique to humanity, but I am not qualified to even speculate when or why this came about. It has obviously extended to sexual acts, and in tandem, is the urge for the male of the species to observe sex acts, and voila, the entire adult entertainment industry was born - the breadth and depth of its influence, to say nothing of its income, proves how deeply seated a desire this is, utterly undiminished by its tabboo status.

A fascinating question.

[Champagne]

I've wondered this a few times, nicki twigs. It's the differentiation which allows us to understand right from wrong, otherwise we'd live in a world where man would have a sexual urge and be able to take it out on whom ever he chooses without question.

Earliest civilisation, circa 1200 and 1000 B.C., has already proven that mankind instinctively forms 'groups'. Nobody has ever discovered why this is unfortunately, but man likes to live in clusters or villages, trade with other villages, breed and raise/nurture their young. It has also been found that man has always united in celebration. Music and drugs, believe it or not, have always been a major part of this.

So I guess it's inbuilt in us to want to conform and unite as a group and respect one another.

[Salamanda]

Hi. Hope the dissertations going well. As humans we are very self aware & instinctively pick up on what is right or wrong. I believe we do have animal instincts, and wonder what makes a rapist rape? Perhaps there is an 'animal instinct' chemical in the brain which is greater for those who rape, or murder. Some women eat their babies placenta, though most would be disgusted by this, but animals always do so ( and even eat dead offspring) We still have a long way to evolve-how will we end up?