Morality

It is often argued that one of the best gifts bestowed on humankind via religion is morality. While it is very possible that morals may be obtained through religion, I think it is tragic to say, which is often argued, that it is the sole module through which we may learn morality. Morality is both innate and learned through consequences of actions. Animals illustrate this point wonderfully. I think it is fair to say that no other species subscribes to a particular doctrine, yet we see them abide by some moral principles. I recently learned of a horse whose pasture mate was blind would help him navigate the pasture, ensuring he never got too close to potentially dangerous objects such as the fence and eletric wire. There have been dolphins that have chased away sharks in pursuit of humans and also have brought drowning humans to shore. A crow that adopted a stray kitten would caw loudly whenever he got too close to the road so that passerbys may be weary. Although our intelligence is unrivaled, we must not forget that we too are animals and have similar mechanisms of learning and behavior. We learn not to steal because we are either punished and/or feel guilty for our actions. Morality, to me, seems quite palpably natural. As all other species of the world, we aim to pass on our genes and help our species survive and thus we have adapted behaviors and mechanisms that increase our survival rate - and being moral and helping other is an enormous one.

Question: How important do you think studying animals is to understanding ourselves?