Human's have no Instincts

Instincts is a scientific concept. There are no instincts outside of science. Having "a feeling" and other ambiguous concepts, are not backed up by science. The frame of reference for this argument was set and words were defined. You accepted the argument knowing that. I will not debate against you on the philosophical side of things, because I do believe we have "instincts" (although not the same definition as used in the argument.) when he comes to "gut-feelings", "luck", etc. Those feelings are less than concrete though and not on the same topic as our debate. Please remain on the topic of Science, particularly in Sociology, Psychology, and Sociobiology. Someone commented on this argument and I would like to address them here, because you provided no argument last round, and I will use these points to strengthen my argument. This next rebuttal is in regards to user "Missmedic". Missmedic starts of by listing off what she believes to be Human Instincts. "Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex Cold Chills and Spine-Tingling Emotional Contagion Knismesis and Gargalesis Prisoner"s Cinema Yawning Mammalian Diving Reflex Blushing" I'll address each of these topics individually, but first I would like to define Reflex as "A reflected action or movement; the sum total of any particular automatic response mediated by the nervous system. A reflex is built into the nervous system and does not need the intervention of conscious thought to take effect. ." The keyword here is that a reflex is a movement or action and not a behavior like an instinct is. Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex: Defined as: Nystagmus or deviation of the eyes in response to stimulation of the Vestibular system by angular acceleration or deceleration or when the caloric test is performed. This action is defined as a "deviation" and not a behavior. Furthermore, this action is only performed when certain conditions are met. Cold Chills: Defined as: A sensation of cold, with convulsive shaking of the body. A true chill, or rigor, results from an increase in chemical activity within the body and usually ushers in a considerable rise in body temperature. The pallor and coldness of a chill, and the piloerection of the skin (goose flesh) that often accompanies it, are caused by constriction of the peripheral blood vessels. Chills are symptomatic of a wide variety of diseases. They usually do not accompany well-localized infections. This concept is defined as a sensation due to the constriction of blood vessels and does not apply here because it is not a reflex nor instinct but a sensation or feeling. Emotional Contagion: Defined as: A process in which a person or group influences the emotions or behavior of another person or group through the conscious or unconscious induction of emotion states and behavioral attitudes Again this concept is neither an innate behavior or a reflex but a social action that happens WHEN a person or group influences others. It is not an instinct because it is something that can be overridden. Knismesis: Defined as: A phenomenon that requires low levels of stimulation to sensitive parts of the body, and can be triggered by a light touch or by a light electrical current. Knismesis can also be triggered by crawling insects or parasites, prompting scratching or rubbing at the ticklish spot, thereby removing the pest. It is possible that this function explains why knismesis produces a similar response in many different kinds of animals. Gargalesis: Defined as (in regards to the previous definition): The gargalesis type of tickle works on humans and primates, and possibly on other species.[4] Because the nerves involved in transmitting "light" touch and itch differ from those nerves that transmit "heavy" touch, pressure and vibration, it is possible that the difference in sensations produced by the two types of tickle are due to the relative proportion of itch sensation versus touch sensation. In these two definitions, they are both described as phenomena and are the bodies reflective actions in response to tickling, therefore they are reflexes and not instincts. Also, I would like to state, that some people are not ticklish and others who are can hide that they're ticklish by not reacting to the sensations at all. I would like to elaborate on the definition of Instinct again: Instincts are Complex, unlearned, inherited fixed action patterns or stereotyped behavior shown BY ALL MEMBERS OF A SPECIES. Prisoner's Cinema: Defined as: A phenomenon reported by prisoners confined to dark cells and by others kept in darkness, voluntarily or not, for long periods of time. It has also been reported by truck drivers, pilots, and practitioners of intense meditation. Astronauts and other individuals who have been exposed to certain types of radiation have reported witnessing similar phenomena As with the other instances, the definition proves that it is not an instinct but a phenomena. Yawning: Defined as: A reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of the eardrums, followed by exhalation of breath. Pandiculation is the act of yawning and stretching simultaneously. Yawning is defined as a reflex. Mammalian Diving Reflex Defined as: Mammalian diving reflex Also found in: A reflex in mammals which optimizes respiration to allow staying underwater for extended periods of time. It is exhibited strongly in aquatic mammals (seals, otters, dolphins, etc.), but exists in a weaker version in other mammals, including humans. REFLEX. Blushing: Defined as: the involuntary reddening of a person's face due to embarrassment or emotional stress, though it has been known to come from being lovestruck, or from some kind of romantic stimulation. It is thought that blushing is the result of an overactive sympathetic nervous system. Blushing is a response of the nervous system and is hardly a phenomena as it is, a normal bodily function. Missmedic goes on to give three more examples of instinct in another comment: "Human beings have three types of instincts: 1.The instinct of survival 2.The instinct of procreation 3.The instinct of worship" The first example of instinct listed by Missmedic is "The instinct of survival". This, in my opinion, is the most predominant misuse of the concept of instincts. I will begin by defining Survival as: the struggle to remain living. For humans to remain alive (and therefore survive) they need to sustain themselves on food and water. Anorexia and Bulimia are very common disorders that negate the will to survive. Some people fast for months at a time. My last point the will close my argument about the instinct of survival is that humans can consciously commit suicide to end their lives (thus ending their survival). I would like to reiterate that an instinct is a behavior shown by all members of a species. The second example is "The instinct of procreation". This one is easily disproved by stating that many people go their whole lives not wanting children, and to further that some people never have sex or have the want to have sex. The third example is "The Instinct of worship". The fact that Atheism exists is the deciding factor of whether or not we have the instinct of worship or not. This example is almost not worth having in my case, but for the sake of being all encompassing and choosing exceptions I have a addressed it. All definitions are taken from http://www.online-medical-dictionary.org... and http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com...