General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Just to beat my head against a wall one more time, yes, bigotry against Islam is racism. [View all]guillaumeb
(42,649 posts)I absolutely agree as to animal cognition, especially in higher primates. Chimps who can sign are demonstrating a high level of cognition because they are engaging in abstract behavior. Plus they use tools, another sign of intelligence.
As to morality and ethics in animals, I am not sure. Higher level animals such as chimps, the great apes, dolphins, and humans develop slowly. We need more time to learn, unlike lizards and reptiles that are born with everything they need to immediately exist apart from a family unit.
When we talk about morals are we really simply describing how a social animal MUST behave in order to insure a viable social unit? If so, "Thou shalt not kill" really translates to a prohibition against killing members of your group, which behavior is necessary if the group is to survive.
I would appreciate if you have a link for the torture/religion trend.