Is morality exclusive to humanity?

Question

Has it been observed in other species? Could it be nothing but an inheirent instinct? Is it a product of evolution? Can it be attributed to religion? Does it even exist?

Answer 1

Seems the animal kingdom has better morals than humans.They only kill to eat, and have s*x only to breed. Some species stay with the same mate for their lifetime. The only defense I can say about humans if that we do not throw poo at one another the way chimps do when angry. lol  Even elephants will take care of one another's young and actually grieves when one of the herd dies.  I really do not think it inherently comes from religion, because we are born with the instinct to know the difference between what is right or wrong without religion coming into the picture. Religions did not always exist, and some internal guidance was responsible for even the most primitive ancestors to be able to survive through some type of code of conduct.

Sir readalot: I for one like reading your answers, and I would have like to see what you would have written.

Answer 2

I guess so.. it's a standard upon which to judge the actions of those who are free to decide the direction of those actions and who could have chosen otherwise...

in short, a duty borne only by those who can think for themselves

as to sparkles: reading your post, I've read once a poem whose title I cannot for the life of me remember, about three monkeys talking about man and measuring their "supposed descendant" against their selves, and how we fall in comparison. It makes me wonder how animals, without morals but with innately proper and organied behavior, could look upon us with our tendency for warfare and pillaging, yet with our rusty boastful claim to intellect and reason, and morality...

Answer 3

try..um..wait, my tutor told me this...hang on,

can't remember

i think it's biological anthropology?

that makes sense?

Answer 4

The problem is that morality is poorly defined & very difficult to separate from instinctive actions.  Because animals that form groups do so instinctively (including humans), they have an instinctive propensity to defend & bond with other members of the group. This may be an instinctive action of pack forming animals in most cases, & even among humans, more instinctive than cognitive morality. We have noted that heroric actions by many humans appears to happen without cognitive thought when another human is in danger or need.

Some cultural morality (bad or good) can be attributed to religion among humans & if one considers this morality, then animals can also be "trained" to react in that way.

Answer 5

No, animals cannot have morals.

Answer 6

Morality is observed in the developed species of non-human kinds as well.

See Dogs who are faithful and dutiful to their keeper or masters.

In protecting their properties and security in return for their masters care and love for them.

See horses how they understand they have to win for their masters who keep them well.

There could be many examples.

Even pet snakes do not bite thier keeper who feed them and take care of them.

Morality being a trait of higher kind and a virtue it is observed in the evolved living beings and evolved souls.

Morality can be cultivated through genuine interactions and training and education.

Morality is not observed in the living beings of base or lower qualities and consciousness where deceit, jealosy, greed, violence and narrow minded worldly selfishness are observed in abundance.

Answer 7

I BELIEVE MORALITY IS A HUMAN ONLY TRAIT. ANIMALS DON'T FEEL SHAME. AND ALTHOUGH SOME SPECIES MATE FOR LIFE THERE IS REALLY NO EXCLUSIVITY IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. I SAY MORALITY IS A HUMAN THING.

Answer 8

I would give a detailed and erudite answer, as I have done many  times in the past, but it would only get a plethora of thumbs down from dolts, so I'll just quit typing now so they can start their mindless happy thumbs down clicking and spare myself the frustration of wasted time and effort invested here. There may be a moral in that.

Answer 9

Morality is exclusive to beings with the faculty of reason.