Monkey Morals…

Where does our moral behaviour come from? It’s a question that is often asked and discussed in philosophy classes but a lot of work is also done on the subject by biologists.

As a member of a social species that evolved in groups, evolution will have played a part in the development of the moral behaviour of my ancestors. Those traits beneficial to the group will have been passed on and those that were disadvantageous will have been weaned out.

I can learn what works through…

  • observation – seeing the effect that certain ways of behaving has on others around me
  • empathy – I can imagine the effects of my actions on others
  • education – we can learn about cause and effect in the classroom
  • experience – I can recall my own feelings about treatment I have received from others

Morality is also common in other social species as the video below, featuring Capuchin monkeys, shows. They are clearly comfortable with their handlers but suffer an obvious sense of outrage when treated unfairly. In the first part of the video they show co-operative behaviour and in the second segment they seem to display a sense of injustice. It is a beautiful experiment.

Neuroscientists have also been discovering how our brains help us to make moral decisions. Whilst the brain is not fully understood, there has been a great deal of progress in understanding the  jobs that different regions do.