Or is it biological and encouraged through natural selection because it benefits the group? Thoughts?
2007-08-21 15:24:48 · 8 answers · asked by khard 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I think chimpanzee morality isn't inspired by God. Steven Mithen, a cognitive archaeologist, hypothesize his theory that in the evolutionary history of primates, religion emerged only in Homo sapiens.
He posited the "cognitive fluidity," a key term here, as follows: From the age of Austraropithecus to that of Homo neanderthalensis, humans developed the mental modules: natural history intelligence, technical intelligence, social intelligence, and linguistic intelligence. In Homo sapiens, our species evolved the cognitive fluidity among the above four intelligence. Any religious idea occurred due to the cognitive fulidity. Any of the above four modules can't make a religious idea like God independently of the other modules.
Of course this is Mithen's hypothesis, but all the scientist would agree that there is no evidence that chimpanzees have religious representation.
My answer to your question is all, but please let me highlight another point.
I think that the proposition that a kind of human morality is inspired by God isn't incompatible with the proposition that it has been evolved by the natural selection. Actual forms of God (Christian God, animistic gods, et cetera) are relative to cultures, but supernatural beings are universal throughout various cultures; It is possible that the supernatural beings we hold in our mind was shaped by the natural selection (e.g., through the cognitive fluidity mentioned above).
Then the experiments which demonstrate chimpanzee morality show that we share the evolutionary origin of our morality with chimpanzee species (chimpanzees and bonobos).
Related articles:
- Mithen S (1996) The prehistory of the mind: A search for the origins of art, religion and science. Thames and Hudson, London
- Warneken F, Hare B, Melis AP, Hanus D, Tomasello M (2007) Spontaneous altruism by chimpanzees and young children. PLoS Biology 5:1414-1420
2007-08-27 09:06:59 · answer #1 · answered by Shaxshan 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chimpanzees display selective altruism. I have not witnessed primate behavior inspired by morality. While there is much to learn about how primate behavior is defined by the group, at this time, there seems to be group acceptance of "different behavior", if this behavior results in little or no consequence to the continuation of the group. The only way of collecting accurate and valuable data which will provide evidence of the group expectations of primates, is in the field.
2007-08-29 11:46:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whether or not it's altruism is impossible to say. And it is doubtful if they exhibit morality as we know it.
2007-08-29 08:33:54 · answer #3 · answered by cheir 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they are so cute until they go on a rampage and you realize how strong they are.
They hunt in packs and will kill any other chimp caught in their territory. They beat him to death very slowly and painfully and then eat him.
Very human and so cute.
2007-08-28 16:55:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
So when you say God .. what exactly do you mean ?
Your answer lies in the question
2007-08-21 15:35:13 · answer #5 · answered by shobhitverma 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah. I thought that all 'creation' was fallen.
2007-08-21 15:29:14 · answer #6 · answered by The Dog Abides 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No ,not God- nature!
2007-08-21 15:30:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
THEY ALSO FORM SOCIETIES AND HAVE WARS...I THINK THAT SAYS IT ALL...
2007-08-21 15:30:27 · answer #8 · answered by Ψ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋