Bottom-Up Morality, We're Not Good Because Of God - Page 1

I tend to agree with this author, would love to read the book.

In a book coming out next week called The Bonobo and the Atheist, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that morality is built into our species. Rather than coming to us top-down from God, or any other external source, morality for de Waal springs bottom-up from our emotions and our day-to-day social interactions, which themselves evolved from foundations in animal societies. Read more here

I guess your familiar with the social sexual practices of the Bonobo, it's a major part of their social behavior.
God definately would not approve.....lol

I really don't think I can take this guys POV all to heart. The problem is, it is impossible to assign the emotions of humans and/or to assign the very human definition of empathy or sympathy to the animal kingdom. And to base your whole hypothesis on anthropomorphism, just makes it seem the atheist in them, was trying too hard.

However, I am fascinated by the topic and have a different view, some of which I have mentioned on other threads.

Of course animals have emotions.

I did not say animals do not have emotions. I said it is impossible to take this study very seriously because of the necessity to define empathy and sympathy in animals, based on the very specific human quality that gave rise to the understanding and naming of these definitions. Come on guys, you are better than this! 

Empathy is the actual physical feeling of another's emotion, so how can you measure that kind of depth in animal sensibility to create a "scientific" study?  Well, you simply can not. There are humans who don't understand the difference between sympathy and empathy!

Beyond that, it does nothing to incorporate the scientific proof of neuroscience, that does prove there are brains that do not, and are not capable of empathy or sympathy. When we discover these individuals in our society, we usually are abhorred by their existence. (Well, if it did, please show me, I didn't read the whole thing...)

To survive, our species has benefited from empathy in many ways. Yet, there seems to be a place for certain types of people without conscience through out the ages, for specific functions in which they can excel. 

Fascinating stuff.





 

Mindhunt, 

I have always believed this, what you said, from my own observations with a child and a puppy who were pretty much emotional equivalents at a certain time.
 

Some data indicates dogs are similar to children in their emotions.