• commie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          11·
          11 months ago

          do they understand they might try other patterns, and actively choose the one they use?

          • idiomaddict@feddit.de
            2·
            11 months ago

            I don’t know what their cognitive processes are, but it seems unlikely they do. It still sounds perfectly normal to me to say the following:

            “Spider webs are designed to be safe for the spider, but still trap as much potential prey as possible.”

            Does that really hit your ear (eye) wrong?

            • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
              11·
              11 months ago

              yes. i would talk about the evolutionary pressures that have shaped the behavior of the organism. i wouldn’t impart volition to them.

                • commie@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
                  1·
                  11 months ago

                  “spiders have evolved to produce webs. evolutionary pressures have favored species which produce webs that are safe for the organism and effective at trapping enough prey to maintain the life and reproductive cycles of the organism.”

                  • idiomaddict@feddit.de
                    1·
                    11 months ago

                    That feels much more formal to me. Definitely not incorrect, but not how I’d explain it casually to someone.