RE: Moral law in Humans and other animals
February 23, 2015 at 9:19 am
(This post was last modified: February 23, 2015 at 9:21 am by ManMachine.)
(February 22, 2015 at 2:29 am)The Reality Salesman Wrote: Some people tend to think that we humans are special in that since we are "wired" to seek out that which is most advantageous to the survival of our species and that of our offspring, that on an "animal level" or an Atheistic level, there is no reason to explain why we are able to override those urges and act differently. Without being capable of recognizing some Divine Moral Law, how else can Atheists account for why we act one way when we are wired to act another? Why do we ignore our basic animalistic sense of eat or be eaten, and then behave in way that is in line with what we describe as "ought"?
If I brought a wild lion into my home, my family would be savagely torn to shreds in a short matter of time. There's not a single person that considers it murder if that were to happen because the Lion would simply be acting in a manner that is consistent with its nature. While it's true that dogs are capable of doing the same thing, I want to point out that one is inevitably going to occur while the other is quite scarce. Dogs are extremely common household pets while Lions are certainly not. My 135 lb beast of a dog is perfectly capable of shredding my family in a similar fashion and yet, I'm not in the least bit concerned of that being a likely event. My dog is an animal, just like me, and I too have an instinct that tells me that I ought not kill the members in the society in which I occupy. If killing out of instinct for survival is something that only humans are able to turn on and off, and this ability is a property given exclusively to humans in order to separate us from the "animals", then why is my dog so goddamned moral?
This is Bernie:
![[Image: d6864f8b-030c-4367-bc05-bd27ccded57d_zps1406a4ab.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i1353.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq672%2FTommy_Alger%2Fd6864f8b-030c-4367-bc05-bd27ccded57d_zps1406a4ab.jpg)
![[Image: d5f1daf1-4b89-419e-afe6-fcce7ca85d4b_zpsf86fb610.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i1353.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq672%2FTommy_Alger%2Fd5f1daf1-4b89-419e-afe6-fcce7ca85d4b_zpsf86fb610.jpg)
![[Image: ad4daba1-42f8-4d71-95c0-f782fa0dddf3_zps06ae3ebc.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i1353.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fq672%2FTommy_Alger%2Fad4daba1-42f8-4d71-95c0-f782fa0dddf3_zps06ae3ebc.jpg)
It's an error to believe we do 'ignore our basic animalistic sense of eat or be eaten', we just do it in a very strategic way. We might not recognise what we do as 'animal' but we are animals, evolution tells us this and any sense that we are 'special' of 'different' is just hubris.
In answer to your question, your dog is a clever strategist and recognises the needs of the pack even though some of that pack is human.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
