Posted on 05/16/2009 4:22:51 PM PDT by JoeProBono
For centuries, humans have imagined they are the only animals with morals. But humans are not alone in the moral arena, a new breed of behavior experts says. Natural historian Jake Page said some scientists are acknowledging what pet owners have told their canines all along: "Good dog."
Dogs are full of natural goodness and have rich emotional lives, said animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
A dog's code of ethics is on display daily in parks, backyards and family rooms. "We're not trying to elevate animals," Bekoff said. "We're not trying to reduce humans. We're not saying we're better or worse or the same. We're saying we're not alone in having a nuanced moral system." Page, author of "Do Dogs Smile?," said biology no longer dismisses dogs and other animals as "furry automatons" driven by instinct and food. "People like Bekoff have figured out how to measure these things," Page said. "It's a whole new ballgame for studying dog personalities and emotions." Bekoff, co-author of "Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals," spent thousands of hours observing coyotes, wolves and dogs. He analyzed videotapes frame by frame. The work convinced him these animals possess empathy and compassion, the emotions upon which moral sense is built. While much the same can be said of monkeys, wolves, elephants, dolphins, whales and other social animals, dogs are special cases; they share in human lives, he said. "Dogs know they are dependent. They learn to read us," Bekoff said.
"Dogs develop this great sense of trust. We're tightly linked, and there is something spiritual about that unity."
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
If only their code of ethics included not peeing on the leaf pile I’m getting ready to bag.
Anyone who has loved a dog and received their affection and trust in return knows intrinsically that their is something behind their eyes more than simple instinct.
If dogs, then hamsters, then cows and pigs. Would mess my diet up. Sorry Fido, my taste buds can’t afford to go the PETA route.
Dogs have souls but babies in the womb do not.(s)
Like the old man in that old Twighlight Zone episode, if they don’t let my dog in, it ain’t heaven.
Awwww. One of my shepherds used to bring toys & give them to one of the other dogs who was seriously ill. No question her behavior was purely altruistic. She would just bring the toy, drop it & walk away when she saw her companion not feeling well.
Damn right.
Does their ‘moral code’ include not eating my remains when I fall down the cellar stairs and break my neck and am unable to feed them for a day? LOL! I highly doubt it.
I love my dogs, I love my cats, I love my chickens; But. They. Are. Animals. No soul.
Anthropomorphic hogwash.
But, let’s not forget the Robots, LOL!
“What about machines? Eventually we will build robots having many human qualities, including the ability to talk and to take the point of view of others. Again there is debate. Some roboticists say building humanoid robots will help us learn about people. Humanoids might interact better with people than more machine-like robots would. Others are aghast at this claim.”
We have 2 cockers, an older blind female and a younger male. The male watches out for the female, always waiting for her to come out the door and go down the steps.
Or a cat... or any number of other animals that have been domesticated or otherwise bonded with humans over the centuries.
While I am absolutely positive that there is something much more to being a human being, endowed by our Creator with intelligence, free will, the ability to create beauty and the ability to appreciate beauty, I also know that my cats and the other animals I have known during my life are also self aware creatures with their own distinct personalities, likes, dislikes, loves and hates.
To deny this is simply to deny reality. They prove it every day with their interactions.
There are a couple of hints in the Bible that God cares about animals, but clearly much less than humans.
Some dogs are good and some are bad. Not sure they have souls. My guess is they don’t.
On the other hand:
Police Dog Killer Gets Life in Prison
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2252409/posts
You are so right.
I always tell my wife that if we died at home, the cats would be feasting upon our remains before we’re ever found.
I knew this...but it is NICE to see it coming from someone who studies dogs' behavior. :^)
I believe creatures are one of God's greatest gifts to us.
IT’S COOL, I’M DRIVEN BY INSTINCT AND FOOD, WHAT’S THE ISSUE?, lol
This is truly odd. Many Atheists do not believe that humans have souls or a conscience or morality. Many Atheists also believe that free will is only an illusion, nothing more than the manifestation of genetic wiring. Here comes an article claiming dogs have a soul. As a pet lover, I can understand why some people believe that dogs and cats have souls. Sorry, friends, but they do not. It is nothing more than projecting our thoughts and feelings upon them. We interpret certain actions that animals do as compassion or altruism, but that is a misconception on our part. I wish it were different, but the sad truth is that only human beings have souls.
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