Humanities desk | ||
---|---|---|
< June 5 | << May | June | Jul >> | June 7 > |
Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives |
---|
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages. |
Why are we scared of skeletons? I know I was pretty much terrified of them when I was a small child. But why? The average human in these days is very unlikely to ever have seen an actual skeleton. How do we even know what skeletons are and what they look like, in order to be scared of them? And furthermore, what do we think skeletons are going to do to us?
Is this some thing that is pre-programmed in our brain so because of millions of years of evolution, we have learned to be scared of things we have never even actually seen? JIP | Talk 21:48, 6 June 2023 (UTC)
I mean, the first time a person sees a picture of a skeleton, they are scared because the skeleton represents death. How does the person know the skeleton represents death? Even without having explicitly learned it from anywhere? If the person sees a picture of a skeleton at a young enough age, how do they even recognise it as a skeleton? Is it some pre-programmed response that has evolved into our brains? JIP | Talk 20:33, 7 June 2023 (UTC)
Humanities desk | ||
---|---|---|
< June 5 | << May | June | Jul >> | June 7 > |
Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives |
---|
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages. |
Why are we scared of skeletons? I know I was pretty much terrified of them when I was a small child. But why? The average human in these days is very unlikely to ever have seen an actual skeleton. How do we even know what skeletons are and what they look like, in order to be scared of them? And furthermore, what do we think skeletons are going to do to us?
Is this some thing that is pre-programmed in our brain so because of millions of years of evolution, we have learned to be scared of things we have never even actually seen? JIP | Talk 21:48, 6 June 2023 (UTC)
I mean, the first time a person sees a picture of a skeleton, they are scared because the skeleton represents death. How does the person know the skeleton represents death? Even without having explicitly learned it from anywhere? If the person sees a picture of a skeleton at a young enough age, how do they even recognise it as a skeleton? Is it some pre-programmed response that has evolved into our brains? JIP | Talk 20:33, 7 June 2023 (UTC)