Stumpy is a killer whale that has been severely injured and is no longer able to hunt for himself. He has been observed with several pods over the years. It appears that each time the whales go out to hunt Stumpy tags along with a different one of them. That whale catches fish, bites them in half and allows half to fall for Stumpy to swim up and eat. This has been going on for years.
http://www.freemorgan.org/wp-content/upl..._orca1.pdf
Notes:
Whales don't normally change from one pod to another more than once or twice.
The behaviour appears to be unique.
There is no obvious, tangible benefit for the other whales of keeping Stumpy alive. In every other species (that I have ever heard of) Stumpy would have just been allowed to die by his family.
As Stumpy changes often from one pod to another we know there can't be a familial link for all of them.
Question - basic morality? Altruism?
If this is proto-morality of some form doesn't that mean definitively that morality is a geneticaly triggered behaviour that we have merely expanded upon through ever more complex social structures?
Doesn't it rule out any idea of an absolute moral law giver?
http://www.freemorgan.org/wp-content/upl..._orca1.pdf
Notes:
Whales don't normally change from one pod to another more than once or twice.
The behaviour appears to be unique.
There is no obvious, tangible benefit for the other whales of keeping Stumpy alive. In every other species (that I have ever heard of) Stumpy would have just been allowed to die by his family.
As Stumpy changes often from one pod to another we know there can't be a familial link for all of them.
Question - basic morality? Altruism?
If this is proto-morality of some form doesn't that mean definitively that morality is a geneticaly triggered behaviour that we have merely expanded upon through ever more complex social structures?
Doesn't it rule out any idea of an absolute moral law giver?
Kuusi palaa, ja on viimeinen kerta kun annan vaimoni laittaa jouluvalot!
