Does intelligent design explain why...

[Bad Wolf]

Yo Unsure, if you think having sex and eating is evidence of design what do you think about wisdom teeth? What's the point in those? What designer would include those.
Also, the laryngeal nerve. It stretches from the base of the brain, loops around the aorta and goes all the way back up to the larynx in the throat. The only function of this nerve is to control the larynx. This occurs in humans, but also occurs in many other animals, most notably the giraffe. What kind of intelligent designer would do this? The nerve travels unnecessarily far. A stupid design isn't it? An all powerful, all knowing being surely wouldn't make such a mistake right?

[Unsure]

Sex gives you pleasure?

Or why eating is enjoyable?

These are 2 main factors in our survival and the continuation of the human race, are they accidentally pleasurable? Doesn't it point to a design made to encourage people to survive and breed?

Is there a scientific or evolutionary answer to why 2 essential parts of the human race's survival feel good?

Thanks for reading.

Because if our more primitive ancestors didn't enjoy sex or eating, they would not have survived.

This was exactly my point/question... Why was it enjoyable for our ancestors?

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Yo Unsure, if you think having sex and eating is evidence of design what do you think about wisdom teeth? What's the point in those? What designer would include those.
Also, the laryngeal nerve. It stretches from the base of the brain, loops around the aorta and goes all the way back up to the larynx in the throat. The only function of this nerve is to control the larynx. This occurs in humans, but also occurs in many other animals, most notably the giraffe. What kind of intelligent designer would do this? The nerve travels unnecessarily far. A stupid design isn't it? An all powerful, all knowing being surely wouldn't make such a mistake right?

Relax. I believe in evolution.

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Good point regarding our food being designed to be enjoyable by us. I don't suppose tearing the bloody raw meat off a gazelle and eating its innards is TOO pleasurable for a lion, rather they just do so to survive.

Everything you said is wrong.

There is no evidence of design. Evolution by natural selection explains why sex feels good, why food tastes good. And our ancestors ate raw meat before the taming of fire.

I've seen animals eat with what appears to be great pleasure and enjoyment.
Just because you don't think eating raw gazelle is appetizing, you can't conclude that a lion doesn't.

I made the point of the lion and gazelle IN SUPPORT of the poster who argued AGAINST my original point so I'm a bit confused by you refuting it.

[The Grand Nudger]

Was it enjoyable for our ancestors? It's generally bad form to ask the why before the was. We didn't "get the fun" - because it was fun..because it conferred advantage. We simply got the fun...and then the chips fell. Bottom up, not top down.
(why was/is it fun = chemistry when two molecules fall in love.....)

I think you might be smuggling in too many complications.

[Chas]

Everything you said is wrong.

There is no evidence of design. Evolution by natural selection explains why sex feels good, why food tastes good. And our ancestors ate raw meat before the taming of fire.

I've seen animals eat with what appears to be great pleasure and enjoyment.
Just because you don't think eating raw gazelle is appetizing, you can't conclude that a lion doesn't.

I made the point of the lion and gazelle IN SUPPORT of the poster who argued AGAINST my original point so I'm a bit confused by you refuting it.

Reread your sentence - it sounds like you said the lion eats for survival only, not pleasure.

[GrandizerII]

It could be that pleasure may have originally arose as a reinforcer for activities that promote survival and reproduction.

[Chas]

It could be that pleasure may have originally arose as a reinforcer for activities that promote survival and reproduction.

That is how it was perpetuated.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

Just because you don't think eating raw gazelle is appetizing, you can't conclude that a lion doesn't.

Exactly.

A more drastic example is rotting meat.

We think rotting meat smells bad. But in actuality, there are various molecules produced by rotting meat that don't smell bad or good until they are perceived by an organism.

We think they smell bad because rotting meat could kill us. So we evolved a survival mechanism to avoid rotting meat by detecting it as smelling bad.

But the exact same molecules that we detect as smelling bad, are detected by vultures or flies as smelling good, and necessary for their survival.

The main reason why humans can't eat rotting meat is that we don't have the proper gut bacteria to digest it. If we had vulture guts we would be fighting over road kill. Since protein is hard to come by for most animals the question should be why don't we have the necessary bacteria to eat rotten meat?

[Chas]

Exactly.

A more drastic example is rotting meat.

We think rotting meat smells bad. But in actuality, there are various molecules produced by rotting meat that don't smell bad or good until they are perceived by an organism.

We think they smell bad because rotting meat could kill us. So we evolved a survival mechanism to avoid rotting meat by detecting it as smelling bad.

But the exact same molecules that we detect as smelling bad, are detected by vultures or flies as smelling good, and necessary for their survival.

The main reason why humans can't eat rotting meat is that we don't have the proper gut bacteria to digest it. If we had vulture guts we would be fighting over road kill. Since protein is hard to come by for most animals the question should be why don't we have the necessary bacteria to eat rotten meat?

Even if you were provided the gut bacteria, you wouldn't eat it.

Our sensory reaction to the odors of rotting meat evolved to do that because people who ate it didn't fare well.

"The spoilage of meat occurs, if the meat is untreated, in a matter of hours or days and results in the meat becoming unappetizing, poisonous or infectious.
Spoilage is caused by the practically unavoidable infection and subsequent decomposition of meat by bacteria and fungi, which are borne by the animal itself,"

[max-greece]

Varying Taste also has an evolutionary advantage. Things would be pretty tricky and overly competitive if we all liked the same foods. The fact that different people prefer different foods means there is less competition and needless fighting. Its a huge advantage that we have developed to be omnivorous.

Whenever we go to a wedding or some such where there is a buffet its a standing joke in our house that between my wife and I there is barely a single item in common on our respective plates. Basically I go for al the meats and she goes for all the veggies. When I go add veggies to my plate it tends to be the 2 things my wife avoids - namely coleslaw and potato salad.

Of course, were we starving we'd eat whatever we could get out hands on. Tastes and preferences take a second seat to survival.

[Brian37]

A simplified way to explain one of those "all scientifical like" - would be that all things beings equal...the couple who have the most sex has the most offspring. Anything that encourages the production of offspring serves the function of essentially zerging life. Whether you choose to conceive of such a thing as a design or just random this-or-that..it still serves the same purpose in the same way.

You'll have to be more specific about eating..different chemicals in different foods (and our own little chem factories) make us feel a bunch of things when we eat. Chemistry, blah blah blah. Again, designed or not..thats the way the chemicals in food and us interact. Eating food can also make you feel pain...and death - keep that in mind.

Sweet avatar pic Wallace........

Good point regarding our food being designed to be enjoyable by us. I don't suppose tearing the bloody raw meat off a gazelle and eating its innards is TOO pleasurable for a lion, rather they just do so to survive.

Sorry, what a load of crap. Lions have tongues, tongues have taste buds, the chemicals in that food stimulate their brain as much as when you drink caffeine or sugar. That is really an ignorant statement to assume other animals are mere robots.

Animals share many of the same attributes as humans. They can be stimulated by food, by play, by companionship and they have unique personalities just like humans, just like your domestic cat or dog.

And I can tell you, both my cat and dog can be quite picky about the food I give them.