Quote:
Originally Posted by DwnWthVwls
I don't think that's necessarily true. This reminds me of the discussion we had a while back about free will. I'm not an expert on the topic but I think even if we don't recognize it happening, we subconsciously do things for survival/preservation.
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We often say that we do, but to be nitpicky, we probably don't except possibly under some very specific circumstances (health phobia perhaps). Rather than subconsciously do things for survival and fitness, we sometimes are subconsciously motivated to do things which, as a consequence, promote survival and fitness.
Take my spider example again. Let's say humans have evolved to avoid spiders because spiders are dangerous. When you see a spider that scares you, you will feel fear. The sensory input of the spider causes you actual physical distress - a release of adrenaline, a sinking feeling in your stomach, heart starts racing, you get fearful - you feel an urge to distance yourself from the spider. You can try to override this with conscious thought if you want, but a phobic would find it very hard. Fears are deep rooted in the subconscious.
What we have adapted to in this example is not
specifically survival or higher fitness. That's just a consequence, which is why that particular trait was selected for. What we have evolved
specifically is behaviour/feelings which make us avoid spiders. So, all your subconscious cares about is getting you away from spiders. Or, to bring up other examples - getting sexual gratification. Or experiencing the taste of sugar. Back in the day, sugary stuff represented a valuable resource that would increase survival / fitness. Today it doesn't, but even if you consciously think it's bad for your survival, your subconscious probably digs it.