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Dreams, Suicide, and Laughter. What Are They Really?

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Luna:
I've been thinking (this is purely a theory based on logic and nothing more) maybe there is another reason for why humans commit suicide, laugh, and dream. Could it be a product of conciousness? As to say, that humans are "beyond" our natural evolution. Almost like a "ghost in the shell" type thing. I'm not talking spiritual or anything, but suicide is contrary to everything we learn in evolution, and laughter seems to have no purpose. Maybe laughter is the brain's reaction to abstract thoughts. And dreams, I don't know...

Just wondering what you guys think. P.S this isn't any quasi existentialism, just food for random thoughts.  :D

cosmicvagabond:

--- Quote from: "Luna" ---P.S this isn't any quasi existentialism, just food for random thoughts.  :D
--- End quote ---


But is there really any such thing as a random thought?  :wink:

2112:
Laughter has a valid evolutionary explaination. It conveys that you are not hostile. Chimpanzees and bonobos have laughter-like behavior.

jason:
Evolution resulted in our conscious awareness, an emergent property of the modern human brain. That awareness gives us all kinds of capabilities in solving abstract problems, planning for the future, and communicating our knowledge effectively.

It is reasonable to assume that with that awareness comes all kinds of consequences that may not directly support our survival. The point of a successful trait (or a complex set of traits, or the properties that emerge from those traits) is that the species survives as a whole. If our brains result in a subset of individuals who commit suicide, but overall most don't, then it's an aberration that doesn't actually harm our overall ability to survive as a species.

In other words, the various characteristics that humans possess may not be directly linked to our survival. They could have just turned up, and since they are not necessarily detrimental, and aren't resulting from a particular evolutionary change (no doubt some bizarrely complex interaction of genetic traits plus environment), they will continue to appear.

stickman:
Dolphins commit suicide.

And I'm pretty sure cats and dogs dream.

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