The Moral Ape

People have always tried to distinguish our species from the rest of the animal kingdom. We are special, we are different. Above all, we are better. As time goes on, however, our grasp in the belief that we are truly superior and ultimately different becomes more tenuous indeed.

One of the first blows, one that struck at the core of the matter, was Darwin's theory of evolution. Suddenly, apes become our cousins through some common, unknown ancestor. The idea of a scala naturae of which we are the pinnacle is replaced by a model of a branching tree in which every organism alive now is as evolved as any other; the best nature has created under certain constraints for a particular situation thus far.

Man then claimed uniqueness for his clever use of tools, which has since been bashed by Jane Goodall and others. Then came language-complete with syntactical rules and infinite flexibility. But chimpanzees and bonobos have been able to learn language, too. Rhesus monkeys have basic arithmetic skills, and can think using symbols, thus we are not unique in that sense either. These distinctions gone, man moves on to another. We are moral. We live by complex ethical standards which are separate from physiological considerations and environmental constraints. Other animals act in a selfish way, however unconscious, so that they may propagate their genes.

Or do they? We must be constantly wary of over-anthropomorphizing the behavior that is exhibited by other species, particularly as there is no way for them to directly relate their cognitions and emotions to us. However, when one considers that chimpanzees and humans share 98.4% of their genetic material, it is absurd to derive two completely different explanations for the same type of behavior.

If we imagine that morality did not come out of nowhere, but evolved, then there should be some indication of it in primates. Anecdotal evidence suggests that chimps certainly exhibit similar behavior to us.

Washoe, the chimp famous for knowing sign language, has dragged another chimp out of a snake-infested area, and pulled a chimp from a moat (an amazing feat since chimps can't swim). Upon hearing sad news one day, Washoe signed cry and traced her finger down her face (chimps do not shed tears.) Remember, these are just a few examples from a single individual - many more anecdotes abound.

Do other animals have morals? While scientist have yet to test this theory, story upon story clearly suggests that chimps and other primates are able to put the feeling and needs of others before their own. If so, what then, is left to differentiate Homo sapiens from the rest of the animal kingdom, other than degree.

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