Sometimes some of what we learnt, was so early on in our lives, when we were babies that we forget that we underwent that process of learning and so later on consider them to be one of our instincts.
I propose that herd mentality in many species ( gregarious birds, fish...) is learnt, and NOT INNATE in them, only the process of learning was very quickly completed or was done at a very early age, and that most observations on HERD MENTALITY have been by far inadequate till now, leading many to consider is an INSTINCT
If it is proved that the new born gazelle learns to identify (relate, equate, work out some analogy) between herself and other similar looking individuals of the herd, then my argument gains strength.
I propose further that the gazelle senses danger (out of its fear instinct), decides (rationalizes*) to CHOOSE the lower risk option out of the two- to run, or to stay. (perhaps It says to itself***- 'Hey, something seems to be wrong, I see other gazelles are all excited and I sense danger, but I am not sure what to do, but I am scared, let me run too,- for I don't want to be left alone to face whatever it is that's coming. Further, chances of me getting hurt is less if I am with other things that also face the same danger, increases my own odds'
If you think how could a mere stupid gazelle do all that thinking and so quickly, right after birth*****- consider these-
1>Cats, dogs, birds, even cockroaches run for life with surprising quickness if you poke and chase them with a stick,
2>Fear (induced by the surge of Adrenalin) can cause us to think and react very very quickly indeed, and we end up doing stuff that would be impossible for us to do otherwise
One can easily verify all of the above if or when we find oneself in a stadium, and if everyone runs, similar thoughts (akin to said gazelle) race through our minds, causing us to run. I can vouch for that as it certainly has happened to me, thus providing me with clear empirical evidence supporting above argument. But I can not directly verify what the gazelle is thinking in a similar situation.
In further support of my argument that herd mentality is learned behavior, if one observes half the people in the stadium (school) running one way and other half running another, then, in spite of our fear, we do stop to think- which way do I go, even if just for a moment.
If you agree with the above, then we can conclude that the instinct that really comes into play here is FEAR rather than HERD MENTALITY. And further 'herd mentality', that is the idea to run with the herd, is itself really learned behavior' and not instinct.
If on the other hand the new born gazelle has not assimilated any information about herself, when a Lion attacks and starts to run along with the herd, has not yet learned its similarity with other members of the herd, and drawn no analogies from such knowledge, and did not 'think and decide rapidly', that such knowledge is therefore present in her from birth, AND**** discounting that fear is an instinct which comes into play here and causes her to very quickly 'learn to run' and 'run with the herd' THEN AND ONLY THEN, the argument 'herd mentality is inherent from birth in certain (gregarious) animals' gains ground.
I guess that only further and more acute observations specifically - 'population studies of behavior patterns of newborns of various species (humans included) when subjected with sudden danger' , will help decide the debate.
Conclusion-
==========
Meanwhile I am still convinced that the running of the gazelle is due to a fear (Adrenalin) induced - very fast decision making, and learning to run with the herd (even if for the first
time)***** when faced with (the instinctive sense of) danger. Further the fact that the new born gazelle senses fear, proves that FEAR is indeed an instinct. My inability to 'get inside the gazelles mind', and hence not knowing if the newborn gazelle thinks or not, along with my added awareness and memory my own thoughts during early childhood episodes of 'the teacher is coming', and later 'stadium stampedes' and other (hair raising) 'run with the rest' episodes, cause me to be currently convinced that 'HERD MENTALITY' is learned behavior, induced rapidly by FEAR which is really the true instinct that is in play here. If newborns in herd are not subjected to sudden danger, then I suspect that they will develop 'herd mentality' much more gradually, as a result of normal learning (as opposed to rapid adrenalin enhanced learning)
Also, without any direct knowledge of impending or present danger, since gazelle senses fear and eminent danger, it shows that fear can be induced (passed) from one individual to another. It is a property of fear perhaps, that can be used to somewhat justify in favor of the argument!! But not really, and let me preempt that, for when we see another individual in fear (see it in their faces, see them running etc), we quickly reason out that even if we don't know if we are in danger, since we see others running in fear, their might well be something dangerous around, coming at us, So I might as well run (again- 'no harm in running, possible harm in staying, so lets run mentality')
I think I have sealed in all the leaks in this my second (actually third) article on this topic
If you are still not convinced and Think I am stupid Please be kind and allow me some latitude, for I am just a Noetic Novice
Debates between ideas is always more fruitful than debates between people, as people have egos while ideas don't. (ideas are inherently platonic)
Please Note-
* rationalizes = (observe, compare information, decide or analyze/process information and work out contradictions with prior knowledge in memory, recursively)
** Surges of Adrenalin that raises heart beat, over excites our brain, causing it to work many,many times quicker and increasing our physical and mental abilities many fold, is what we sense as (and call) FEAR, and is one of our instincts, along with love, and the normally much more slower, boring, and (currently) obscure or even (unrecognized by some) ability to rationalize .
*** I foresee the counter argument - Now how did you end up in the gazelles mind? I didn't. I rationalized since, in similar circumstances I did this(run), for these reasons (as repeated above), said gazelle might also being doing the same.
**** 'AND' is used here in the Boolean sense (and is extremely essential)
***** If true, strengthens the argument that gazelle (we) is able to think (rationalalize right from birth) hence Rational thought = Instinct
# All our instincts have an underlying chemistry
## I still have not read 'that' book everyone keeps telling me to read, but will as soon I get lots of time- I am a slow reader.
### Perhaps having not read the book by the very well known author, has allowed me to be unbiased in the matter and let me rationalize freely and independently. I guess you could say I won (this time) my struggle against an education
#### If more are agreeing with you One rationalizes that since they are also thinking people, you logic is probably right
Corollary - One finds it easy to justify an argument that many hold true. This is due to herd mentality, but only further proves that it is learned behavior.
##### Due to above, herd mentality has both helped and hurt us for it causes us to run from danger, but also follow ideas that most are following (like sometimes on twitter) and many wrong ideas are popular and survive due to it.
###### We always have the option to either consciously rationalize and build on what we know from previous knowledge + knew knowledge & working out the contradictions, -
or believe( =hold something as true without supporting evidence)
That is individual choice of coarse.
####### When one has reason to believe something, it is not really believing. And most of
the time, when we unconsciously believe in something we have had at least
some reason to do so.
######## If one now agrees that herd mentality is learnt behavior and said gazelle does not follow herd due to a pre-existing belief, then it should follow that existence of 'herd mentality' does not in any way strengthen the argument that we are believers right from day one.
######### This discourse does not contradict the existence of herd mentality, only that it is
not an instinct
########## It is today well established that we learn, right from day one!
########### from all of above it should be clear, that we do not instinctively believe (hold an
arg. true without any support) , but we can to do it consciously. That is we are
born rationalists, natural learners, spontaneous thinkers.
############# To believe is choosing consciously not to think, and hence thinking is
semi- involuntary, exactly like our breathing. We do it involuntarily most of
the times, (mostly for the mundane tasks, when in danger, previously well
learned tasks, repetitive tasks etc ), but we can chose to do it consciously too.
############## Our ability to think (rationalize) consciously - allows some us to ask
ourselves profound questions like 'What is the purpose of our existence' and
'What is love', etc etc. and become like Aristotle.
############### The above ability varies from individual to individual, since only some
tend to philosophize (think consciously on profound questions), hence all
are not inclined to philosophy.
################ To believe = To not think (consciously).
+ Most 'believers' are not really believers, but are simply wrong.
++ All our behavioral attributes are derived from instincts, also derived attributes can not be instincts.
$ Please Please give me your valuable comments even if just to say 'you stubborn dimwit'
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