Can a hardware and software metaphor explain it?
What is physically happening in our brain and body?
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An instinct is an action done as a response to some stimulation, unconsciously (i.e. you do not think of it). An example may be jumping when scared or moving your hand when touching something extremely hot. These actions are usually not learned in some way – the body already knows what to do, even if it is not the best thing to do in the situation.
As a computer metaphor – I don’t think hardware/software would be the best comparison, but maybe operating system vs user: Everything you do consciously (i.e. intentionally) is everything the user does. Anything that happens in the background that you are not aware of is the doing of the operating system. An instinct would then be a response of the operating system for a “stimulation” (key press, connecting a cable, etc.). Or, delving deeper into computer terminology, an instinct might be the operating system’s response to an interrupt, as these usually come from the hardware (which may represent the nerves of the body) and the response happens immediately without asking the user.
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