Poll: Do animals have free will?

[Rakkana]

Simple moral question for the escapist. Are animals capable of independent thought? Are they able to choose what they want to do or are they driven by instinct?

 

[Sleekgiant]

All living things have some sort of free will and some sort of instinct.

 

[Fenolio]

Kinda depends on the individual to be honest.
Instinct is a hell of a lot stronger with other animals than humans.
This doesnt mean they cant think. Merely that listening to their Instinct takes priority.

Say an animal smells 3 different types of food: apples, oranges and pears. It can eat all 3 safely and are all equal distance away.

But this animal likes the taste of apples better so it goes for the apples.

Is this free will?

 

[Radeonx]

Everything has a mix of both free will and instinct.

 

[Valkyrie101]

Well they do have free will as such, but without the mental faculties to really make use of it, so they're largely driven solely by instinct. Do they have independent thought? No, not really, but they still have free will technically.

 

[Rakkana]

Kinda depends on the individual to be honest.
Instinct is a hell of a lot stronger with other animals than humans.
This doesnt mean they cant think. Merely that listening to their Instinct takes priority.

Say an animal smells 3 different types of food: apples, oranges and pears. It can eat all 3 safely and are all equal distance away.

But this animal likes the taste of apples better so it goes for the apples.

Is this free will?

Are all animals capable of preference?

 

[GundamSentinel]

Do humans have free will or are they guided by nerve impulses simulating consciousness? Free will is a near perfect illusion, I'll say that. But to think that our brain is substantially different from that of any other animal would be foolish.

 

[antipunt]

Do humans have free will or are they guided by nerve impulses simulating consciousness? Free will is a near perfect illusion, I'll say that. But to think that our brain is substantially different from that of any other animal would be foolish.

Indeed. Free will is an illusion altogether. It's all about determinism

 

[Kpt._Rob]

I don't think we've even established that humans have actual free will yet. I think that debate needs to be settled before we can move on to animals.

 

[child of lileth]

I think they have it.

 

[xavi]

My animals do not have free will. I live on a farm and their will to do as they please is restricted however wild animals do indeed have a free will.

 

[Levitas1234]

i care, but i don't know

 

[SaberXIII]

Considering that most animals are thought to not even be sentient, I highly doubt it, and those who are are driven by instinct. Human are too, to a degree, but far less so that other animals.

 

[jackknife402]

Aye, they do have a free-will, a free-will to decide which one lands on my fork first.

 

[Danzaivar]

Are they capable of independent thought? Well, most animals we know of aren't hive minds so by that logic yes, they do have free will.

 

[Booze Zombie]

They have free will, they make choices.
The best choices they can make with the logical faculties they have.

They may not invent rocket ships, but that's not really any of their concern, anyway.

 

[Rakkana]

instinct is free will

Instinct can also be a reflex or a Involuntary response. But it can also mean knowledge of something you haven't been taught. Free will can certainly turn into a reflex but instinct is something built in to put it REALLY simply.

Just to add a bit more, please go and learn some high school biology and come back.

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

Do humans have free will or are they guided by nerve impulses simulating consciousness? Free will is a near perfect illusion, I'll say that. But to think that our brain is substantially different from that of any other animal would be foolish.

Indeed. Free will is an illusion altogether. It's all about determinism

"I may do as I please but I may not please as I please"

 

[blankedboy]

Sometimes they run on instinct, usually free will.
Bacteria, on the other hand, or blood cells (red and white), now THAT'S something I wanna know about in Biology.
Biology = win class (at the moment, anyway)

 

[Fenolio]

Kinda depends on the individual to be honest.
Instinct is a hell of a lot stronger with other animals than humans.
This doesnt mean they cant think. Merely that listening to their Instinct takes priority.

Say an animal smells 3 different types of food: apples, oranges and pears. It can eat all 3 safely and are all equal distance away.

But this animal likes the taste of apples better so it goes for the apples.

Is this free will?

Are all animals capable of preference?

OT:My sisters hamster certainly likes carrots more than anything else we give it.

Now to make this more confusing.
Ants can herd / raise aphids (and other similer insects i think) like cattle. They carry them from plant to plant to find the sweetest spots so they can harvest the nectar that the aphids produce.
Free will(of the queen maybe)? Instinct? Crazy evolution?