Still Waters Posted May 24, 2009 #1 Share Posted May 24, 2009 Animals possess a sense of morality that allows them to tell the difference between right and wrong, according to a controversial new book. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:PsYKoTiC:BeHAvIoR: Posted May 25, 2009 #2 Share Posted May 25, 2009 I can certainly agree some animals do have emotions, but to have a moral? Maybe a trained pet, like a dog, would display this behavior since it was learned from us to a certain degree. Take what has happened duing Hurricane Katrina, abandoned dogs reverted quickly to their instincts and were hostile toward humans in matter or weeks. Moral went out the door. Also, I'm surprised Dolphins didn't make the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashyne Posted May 25, 2009 #3 Share Posted May 25, 2009 humans are too ego-istic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormcrow Posted May 25, 2009 #4 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) humans are too ego-istic. I agree. o_o And wtf are we, aliens? Last time I checked we were also animals... Edit to add: Cats know right from wrong, oh yes, but morals are out of the question and at the other end of the ever expanding universe. "Don't scratch sofa? Do! scratch sofa. Ooh, okay. Do scratch sofa. Don't? Stop? Don't stop? Okay! DO scratch sofa, then. AHAHAHA. I scratched the sofa. Chase me now?" Edited May 25, 2009 by Ebonykrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorto Posted May 25, 2009 #5 Share Posted May 25, 2009 most animals have morals. its easy to tell i have met feral cats who have never seen a human before and they showed me caring and compassion. i have had a squirell attempt to share its lunch with me, i threw some cookies outside for it, it ate the cookies, saved one and broke it in half and ran up to my window and banged on the window to get my attention and dropped the half of it on the windowsil right by me. it left it there and never came back for it, it looked me right in the eye before dropping it there as if its for me its easier to see pets and pet type animals be compassionate but i bet larger animals are too such as giraffes or horses i was crying in the backyard very loud and upset and a homeless cat who had no owners and i doubt it ever did ran right up to me with sad eyes and looked up to me to see whats wrong, i turned around and she cheered me up emediately and she stood there staring at me looking worried, then reality clicked in and the cat realized what she did and she ran for her life away from me and hid under a car, since it didnt know me and was scared of people. but it risked its life to cheer up a crying person. according to homeless cats everyones a predator who hunts it, for all it knows i could have murdered it or made it my dinner, but she risked her life to see if i was ok later on i managed to train the cat and start feeding it and we became buddies as soon as i let it get used to people.but it is a hard thing to gain trust from homeless animals, it takes a while it took months to get it to stay in the same area as me calmly, and lots of food each time.. if you feed an animal its like your protecting its life, but yes im sure there are some animals that could care less or chose to be mean. such as those who dont respect humans or household pets. i read a story about a girl who was a self mutilator and her cat would run up to her when she sensed she was nervous and would stop her from cutting and sit on her lap. theres pets that swniff out medical problems in their owners and warn them, pets who rescue people,theres dogs that keep epileptic people company and when they sense a seizure they bark loud or sit on the person to warn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted May 25, 2009 #6 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) I can certainly agree some animals do have emotions, but to have a moral? Maybe a trained pet, like a dog, would display this behavior since it was learned from us to a certain degree. Take what has happened duing Hurricane Katrina, abandoned dogs reverted quickly to their instincts and were hostile toward humans in matter or weeks. Moral went out the door. Also, I'm surprised Dolphins didn't make the list. That is survival instinct, it has nothing to do with morality. Dolphins? The animals that gang rapes (species of victim is not important), kills smaller dolphin for fun and commits infanticide? Edited May 25, 2009 by Mattshark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-Unexpected-Soul Posted May 25, 2009 #7 Share Posted May 25, 2009 tissy , that's why i like cats , since they are the rulers of the world , they make you feel so lucky when they give you some attention , it's like being accepted by nature , we had a cat in are yard she moved two weeks to here with her 4 kittens , and i find it funny how cats can come any time with out any invite and you feel blessed to have a cat in your yard , some times they just do "their thing" and go , and you feel like flying of happiness there is a trick you can do with cats , but the cat have to be in the "nap mode" you know when the cat is relaxed and sitting there on the shelf if you looked her in the eye "eye to eye" the cat will stare at you for a couple of seconds and then will look away like if she is avoiding the eye contact , it's too funny when they do that also another one , is to blink with your eyes , you will see the cat will also blink her eye , try it and by the way the relationship between humans and animals can really unveil some morality characters in the humans/animals nature , that is part of our character , why do we enjoy feeding a stray animal !? , it's purely an act of charity , cuz you know that you will not see the animal again , yet you enjoy sharing your resources with him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormcrow Posted May 25, 2009 #8 Share Posted May 25, 2009 there is a trick you can do with cats , but the cat have to be in the "nap mode" you know when the cat is relaxed and sitting there on the shelf if you looked her in the eye "eye to eye" the cat will stare at you for a couple of seconds and then will look away like if she is avoiding the eye contact , it's too funny when they do that also another one , is to blink with your eyes , you will see the cat will also blink her eye , try it No, that's a challenge. Cats, like many other animals (including humans) use staring as an intimidation technique. If you stare at your cat for any reason, they take this as an impolite gesture and a challenge. If you don't back down then they will attack you, or if they have respect for you then they will back down first. Never. Ever. Stare at your cat if you have a smidgen of respect for them. Ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-Unexpected-Soul Posted May 25, 2009 #9 Share Posted May 25, 2009 No, that's a challenge. Cats, like many other animals (including humans) use staring as an intimidation technique. If you stare at your cat for any reason, they take this as an impolite gesture and a challenge. If you don't back down then they will attack you, or if they have respect for you then they will back down first. Never. Ever. Stare at your cat if you have a smidgen of respect for them. Ever. well no , they don't seem to care about staring that much ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormcrow Posted May 25, 2009 #10 Share Posted May 25, 2009 well no , they don't seem to care about staring that much ! They really do. A cat is all about staring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siara Posted May 25, 2009 #11 Share Posted May 25, 2009 That is survival instinct, it has nothing to do with morality. So you think morality can't possibly be a group survival instinct? Dolphins? The animals that gang rapes (species of victim is not important), kills smaller dolphin for fun and commits infanticide? Humans gang rape, kill each other for fun and commit infanticide too. We're capable of morality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted May 25, 2009 #12 Share Posted May 25, 2009 So you think morality can't possibly be a group survival instinct? Yes it is, but if you a left alone and starved, it ain't going to apply. Humans gang rape, kill each other for fun and commit infanticide too. We're capable of morality. Yes we are, just pointing out that dolphins are not by human standards moral creatures. Not that human morals apply to other animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haj01 Posted May 25, 2009 #13 Share Posted May 25, 2009 i think this article proves it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...t-antelope.html and this video proves it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp7cZ0AWxfI Ofcourse animals have morality, we act like animals too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormcrow Posted May 25, 2009 #14 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) i think this article proves it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...t-antelope.html and this video proves it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp7cZ0AWxfI Ofcourse animals have morality, we act like animals too. The lion wasn't experiencing remorse, she was confused. Every carnivore kills for a living, and when you start feeling sad about it then you are the one that suffers and you are the one that dies. The lioness was, most likely, confused about finding a second carcass inside her lunch. Trust me. If you were out hunting and you caught your catch and found a fetus inside the mother, you'd be either seriously put off or you'd think, "DESSERT!" ...we are animals? Edited May 25, 2009 by Ebonykrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godsnmbr1 Posted May 25, 2009 #15 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Yes it is, but if you a left alone and starved, it ain't going to apply. Yes we are, just pointing out that dolphins are not by human standards moral creatures. Not that human morals apply to other animals. So you're also saying that humans are not moral creatures by human standards. Ok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perdition Posted May 25, 2009 #16 Share Posted May 25, 2009 They really do. A cat is all about staring. How come every time i stare at a cat they come to me and let me pet them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattshark Posted May 25, 2009 #17 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) So you're also saying that humans are not moral creatures by human standards. Ok... Plenty are not. So yeah. Edited May 25, 2009 by Mattshark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormcrow Posted May 25, 2009 #18 Share Posted May 25, 2009 How come every time i stare at a cat they come to me and let me pet them? Every time? Okay. Obviously I have no idea what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www375 Posted May 25, 2009 #19 Share Posted May 25, 2009 How come every time i stare at a cat they come to me and let me pet them? Let's see what happens when your cat stares at my GSD................... Ummmm............LUNCH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haj01 Posted May 25, 2009 #20 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) The lion wasn't experiencing remorse, she was confused. Every carnivore kills for a living, and when you start feeling sad about it then you are the one that suffers and you are the one that dies. The lioness was, most likely, confused about finding a second carcass inside her lunch. Trust me. If you were out hunting and you caught your catch and found a fetus inside the mother, you'd be either seriously put off or you'd think, "DESSERT!" ...we are animals? Have you seen the lion cub from harrods? Animals show feelings of right and wrong too, whilst obvously there not always going to be like that but they have their times too. Same as humans, when there is a war, you have to kill, but you can also feel guilt and remorse afterwards, or even before. ...we are animals? And we are from the human species, but yet most of us act like animals anyway. Most of us are hyppocrites. I am aswell. Edited May 25, 2009 by Haj01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormcrow Posted May 25, 2009 #21 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Have you seen the lion cub from harrods? Animals show feelings of right and wrong too, whilst obvously there not always going to be like that but they have their times too. Same as humans, when there is a war, you have to kill, but you can also feel guilt and remorse afterwards, or even before. And we are from the human species, but yet most of us act like animals anyway. Most of us are hyppocrites. I am aswell. In the wild, there is nothing wrong with killing a pregnant antelope. It's survival. So that is your flawed logic in this situation. Humans are animals. We are of the animal kingdom, our Latin name being Homo sapien, of the order primate. We don't just act like animals, we are animals. Edited May 25, 2009 by Ebonykrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda_310 Posted May 26, 2009 #22 Share Posted May 26, 2009 humans are too ego-istic. I Totally agree........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashyne Posted May 26, 2009 #23 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Humans are nothing but savages behind this civilised facade they display in society. Remove society, technology from a human, throw him in the wild and he, too, will revert to his instincts to survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insaniac Posted May 26, 2009 #24 Share Posted May 26, 2009 Humans are nothing but savages behind this civilised facade they display in society. Remove society, technology from a human, throw him in the wild and he, too, will revert to his instincts to survive. Exactly right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbondo Posted May 26, 2009 #25 Share Posted May 26, 2009 While I agree that a few animal species have some degree of awareness in this area they are certainly not capable complex emotions or morals. JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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