Ethics & Morality

My 5 Takeaways:

1. Moral behavior can be taught and evolved.

De Waal states (quote/unquote) that morality can evolve from the bottom up. We, as individuals, can make a difference by our actions towards others; and in reverse, we learn from others’ behaviors.

2. There are two pillars of morality: reciprocity and empathy.

De Waal states without these pillars, we have no moral standing. The Cambridge Dictionary defines reciprocity as a “behavior in which two people or groups of people give each other help and advantages”; and empathy as “the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person's situation”. By diving deeper into these two definitions, we can examine why de Waal makes this statement. Without reciprocity and empathy, we do not have fairness or compassion for each other. We do not care about the well-being of others or their feelings. We are completely ‘out for ourselves’ (so-to-speak) and not for the good of all.

3. There are two channels of empathy: body and cognitive.

Empathy has two parts—the body which is the emotional response; and the cognitive which is the perspective-taking response. In the video, de Waal shows a chimp yawning in response to another chimp yawning showing that chimps have this body channel of empathy.

4. Consolation is a form of empathy.

We console others as a form of empathy; this is our way of showing we understand the other person’s emotional state.

5. Animals can learn to work together for the good of each other and themselves.

We cannot survive without the help and cooperation of all.

Ethics and Morality