Purpose of Life for an Ant

[Riddick]

Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

[ZeeJustin]

On a similar subject, I was watching a movie recently (don't remember which, maybe it was from Being John Malkovich?), and a character turned to an animal (possibly a chip) and said, "You're so lucky to not be burdoned with consciousness. You don't have to worry about feelings, emotions, yada yada yada."

This statement seemed absurd to me. I've always assumed that all mammals are conscious, although insects I'm not so sure about (I'm under the impression that most insects don't have brains).

[bunny]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

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I think animals feel pain and pleasure (my understanding is this is hardly questioned by scientists in this field). I would imagine ants dont make decisions, mice make some, dogs make more, etc... I cant think of a really meaningful way to test this though (experiments on animals' abilities to learn languages could be fruitful I guess).

I also think that because of this an ants life doesnt have much meaning. I believe making choices and exercising free will is what gives our lives meaning.

[Borodog]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

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The purpose of an ant's life is to ensure that copies of genes that code for the construction of ants multiply.

[Prodigy54321]

same as the purpose of life for humans...to stay alive and have children (everything else is just a bonus)

I'm pretty sure that most living organisms have some way of distinguishing between pain and pleasure...mostly for survival and procreational purposes I would think for simple organisms (not simple in the scientific sense, just simple as in an insect)

I have no clue as to their thinking capabilities..although I have watched a few discovery channel documentaries /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[mostsmooth]

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feel pain?

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any time i ever used the magnifying glass and sun on them, than ran like hell.

[shmoosh]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

[/ QUOTE ]
I think animals feel pain and pleasure (my understanding is this is hardly questioned by scientists in this field). I would imagine ants dont make decisions, mice make some, dogs make more, etc... I cant think of a really meaningful way to test this though (experiments on animals' abilities to learn languages could be fruitful I guess).

I also think that because of this an ants life doesnt have much meaning. I believe making choices and exercising free will is what gives our lives meaning.

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Ants do make decisions, they are actually quite intelligent little creatures who live in complex social networks. Check out this link if you're interested in seeing an example, I f you also do a search on "Ant behavior" on this site you will find some other interesting articles.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...l=pubmed_docsum (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&li st_uids=16407943&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum)

[PierceAndPierce]

They're purpose is to impregnate the Queen, work, and then die.

[hmkpoker]

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I've always assumed that all mammals are conscious, although insects I'm not so sure about (I'm under the impression that most insects don't have brains).

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Why does consciousness have to be an all or nothing deal? Why can't something be "more conscious" or "less conscious" than another?

[shmoosh]

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They're purpose is to impregnate the Queen, work, and then die.

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The workers don't impregnate the queen, they are genetically female.

[madnak]

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Why does consciousness have to be an all or nothing deal? Why can't something be "more conscious" or "less conscious" than another?

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They've never done drugs. Cut them a break.

[Hopey]

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I think animals feel pain and pleasure

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You mean you're not sure if animals feel pain and pleasure? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[bunny]

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I think animals feel pain and pleasure

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You mean you're not sure if animals feel pain and pleasure? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

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No I dont mean I'm not sure - as I said I think this is hardly questioned by people working in the field. This is good enough for me.

[DougShrapnel]

From Walden

"I was witness to events of a less peaceful character. One day when I went out to my wood-pile, or rather my pile of stumps, I observed two large ants, the one red, the other much larger, nearly half an inch long, and black, fiercely contending with one another. Having once got hold they never let go, but struggled and wrestled and rolled on the chips incessantly. Looking farther, I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black. The legions of these Myrmidons covered all the hills and vales in my wood-yard, and the ground was already strewn with the dead and dying, both red and black. It was the only battle which I have ever witnessed, the only battle-field I ever trod while the battle was raging; internecine war; the red republicans on the one hand, and the black imperialists on the other. On every side they were engaged in deadly combat, yet without any noise that I could hear, and human soldiers never fought so resolutely. I watched a couple that were fast locked in each other's embraces, in a little sunny valley amid the chips, now at noonday prepared to fight till the sun went down, or life went out. The smaller red champion had fastened himself like a vice to his adversary's front, and through all the tumblings on that field never for an instant ceased to gnaw at one of his feelers near the root, having already caused the other to go by the board; while the stronger black one dashed him from side to side, and, as I saw on looking nearer, had already divested him of several of his members. They fought with more pertinacity than bulldogs. Neither manifested the least disposition to retreat. It was evident that their battle-cry was "Conquer or die." In the meanwhile there came along a single red ant on the hillside of this valley, evidently full of excitement, who either had despatched his foe, or had not yet taken part in the battle; probably the latter, for he had lost none of his limbs; whose mother had charged him to return with his shield or upon it. Or perchance he was some Achilles, who had nourished his wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or rescue his Patroclus. He saw this unequal combat from afar—for the blacks were nearly twice the size of the red—he drew near with rapid pace till he stood on his guard within half an inch of the combatants; then, watching his opportunity, he sprang upon the black warrior, and commenced his operations near the root of his right fore leg, leaving the foe to select among his own members; and so there were three united for life, as if a new kind of attraction had been invented which put all other locks and cements to shame. I should not have wondered by this time to find that they had their respective musical bands stationed on some eminent chip, and playing their national airs the while, to excite the slow and cheer the dying combatants. I was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference. And certainly there is not the fight recorded in Concord history, at least, if in the history of America, that will bear a moment's comparison with this, whether for the numbers engaged in it, or for the patriotism and heroism displayed. For numbers and for carnage it was an Austerlitz or Dresden. Concord Fight! Two killed on the patriots' side, and Luther Blanchard wounded! Why here every ant was a Buttrick—"Fire! for God's sake fire!"—and thousands shared the fate of Davis and Hosmer. There was not one hireling there. I have no doubt that it was a principle they fought for, as much as our ancestors, and not to avoid a three-penny tax on their tea; and the results of this battle will be as important and memorable to those whom it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill, at least.
I took up the chip on which the three I have particularly described were struggling, carried it into my house, and placed it under a tumbler on my window-sill, in order to see the issue. Holding a microscope to the first-mentioned red ant, I saw that, though he was assiduously gnawing at the near fore leg of his enemy, having severed his remaining feeler, his own breast was all torn away, exposing what vitals he had there to the jaws of the black warrior, whose breastplate was apparently too thick for him to pierce; and the dark carbuncles of the sufferer's eyes shone with ferocity such as war only could excite. They struggled half an hour longer under the tumbler, and when I looked again the black soldier had severed the heads of his foes from their bodies, and the still living heads were hanging on either side of him like ghastly trophies at his saddle-bow, still apparently as firmly fastened as ever, and he was endeavoring with feeble struggles, being without feelers and with only the remnant of a leg, and I know not how many other wounds, to divest himself of them; which at length, after half an hour more, he accomplished. I raised the glass, and he went off over the window-sill in that crippled state. Whether he finally survived that combat, and spent the remainder of his days in some Hôtel des Invalides, I do not know; but I thought that his industry would not be worth much thereafter. I never learned which party was victorious, nor the cause of the war; but I felt for the rest of that day as if I had had my feelings excited and harrowed by witnessing the struggle, the ferocity and carnage, of a human battle before my door."

And the part I found most interesting
"A similar engagement between great and small ants is recorded by Olaus Magnus, in which the small ones, being victorious, are said to have buried the bodies of their own soldiers, but left those of their giant enemies a prey to the birds."

The victorious party usually will enslave the remainders of the deafeated. Certain half red, half black ants will be born. When resources are plentiful the half red ants will leave or be kicked out to form thier own colony.

Hope this gives some insight into your questions.

[Rduke55]

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(I'm under the impression that most insects don't have brains).

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Insects have brains. They're usually just smaller than ours.

[Marko Schmarko]

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They're usually just smaller than ours.

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heh

[diebitter]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

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The same as everything else - to propogate your genes.

[Mr_J]

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I believe making choices and exercising free will is what gives our lives meaning.

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Our lives have no meaning. We live, we die. That is all.

[purnell]

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I believe making choices and exercising free will is what gives our lives meaning.

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Our lives have no meaning. We live, we die. That is all.

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If you limit your toolkit to reason alone, this is what you get. But one cannot be entirely rational, because it doesn't make any sense to be.

[Ray Zee]

they have the exact same purpose we do as humans. they also as an individual do much the same things. what separates us from such little things is that we are bigger.

[HLMencken]

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they have the exact same purpose we do as humans. they also as an individual do much the same things. what separates us from such little things is that we are bigger.

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[mothman]

isn't this the wrong forum for this topic?

/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[bisonbison]

To be an ant while it can.

[Philo]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

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The same as everything else - to propogate your genes.

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Nonsense.

[diebitter]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

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The same as everything else - to propogate your genes.

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Nonsense.

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If you can't explain your argument, please don't waste bandwidth and disk space.

[Rduke55]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

[/ QUOTE ]

The same as everything else - to propogate your genes.

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Nonsense.

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If you can't explain your argument, please don't waste bandwidth and disk space.

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Poop.

[Borodog]

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Can someone(s) talk a little bit about what they feel the purpose of life is for an ant?

Do they think? make decisions that have consequences? feel pain? pleasure?

[/ QUOTE ]

The same as everything else - to propogate your genes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nonsense.

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If you can't explain your argument, please don't waste bandwidth and disk space.

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Poop.

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It tastes like burning.