> Behaving like there is "somebody out there" to watch after you, may
> be an instinct among all young animals. Many genetically programmed
> emotional expressions - such as crying - are directly based on the
> expectation that there is some Benevolent Observer/Caregiver out
> there who would notice you and do some "magic" to improve things.
- - -
> There is such a big evolutionary advantage in having this Reliance
> on Big Benevolent Force mechanism that it seems to be the most
> important surviving technique for an infant.
I don't think your model needs to assume any real evolutionary
advantage to this behavior/mental model. Animals build simple mental
models of their environment, and it is likely their parents (and
other friendly animals) are included (there is an evolutionary
advantage to have such a model during *childhood*). As the animal
grows up and leaves its parents, the mental model remains and under
some circumstances it becomes actual even if there are no parents
present. It doesn't give a big advantage, or a big disadvantage, so
evolution will not lead to some system making animals forget their
parents explicitly.
Actually, I like Sasha's model, it makes a lot of sense although I
think he is overestimating the evolutionary pressure on having the
"Big Helper".
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Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
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