Subjective Morals and Societal Whims

[Neo-Scholastic]

I'm sorry the spell-checker took over giving my question an entirely different meaning. I meant to ask if their was a quality that distinguished empathy from other feelings and instincts such that giving it priority over the others is warranted.

Perhaps not, but the overarching point still stands - there exists a plausible natural basis for subjective human and animal moral behavior.  

The OP's off the rails.

Plausible, yes. At the same time, unless their is a reason to prefer empathy as the natural basis of morality, social dominance hierarchies and contempt are just a plausible.