Morality, after all, has nothing to do with selflessness. On the contrary, self-interest is precisely the basis of the categorical imperative. Frans de Waal More Quotes by Frans de Waal More Quotes From Frans de Waal Although elephants are far more distantly related to us than the great apes, they seem to have evolved similar social and cognitive capacities. Frans de Waal apes elephants social Contrary to general belief, humans imitate apes more than the reverse. The sight of monkeys or apes induces an irresistible urge in people to jump up and down, exaggeratedly scratch themselves and holler in a way that must make the primates wonder how this otherwise so intelligent species has come to depend on such inferior means of communication. Frans de Waal communication intelligent mean I am personally not against keeping animals at zoos, as they serve a huge educational purpose, but treating them well and with respect seems the least we could do, and with 'we' I mean not just zoo staff, but most certainly also the public. Frans de Waal educational zoos mean It is well known that apes in the wild offer spontaneous assistance to each other, defending against leopards, say, or consoling distressed companions with tender embraces. Frans de Waal leopards spontaneous apes Octopuses have hundreds of suckers, each one equipped with its own ganglion with thousands of neurons. These 'mini-brains' are interconnected, making for a widely distributed nervous system. That is why a severed octopus arm may crawl on its own and even pick up food. Frans de Waal neurons octopus brain The evolutionary struggle for survival is really a self-serving series of blows and stabs, and yet it can lead to extremely social animals like dolphins, wolves or, for that matter, primates. Frans de Waal struggle blow animal I think we need to start thinking about grounding our moral systems in our biology. Frans de Waal moral needs thinking I call the notion that we are nothing but killer apes the Beethoven fallacy. Beethoven was disorganized and messy, and yet his music is the epitome of order. Frans de Waal killers apes order Competitiveness is just as much a part of our nature as empathy. The ideal, in my view, is a democratic system with a social market economy, because it takes both tendencies into account. Frans de Waal empathy economy views The intuitive connection children feel with animals can be a tremendous source of joy. The unconditional love received from pets, and the lack of artifice in the relationship, contrast sharply with the much trickier dealings with members of their own species. Frans de Waal unconditional-love animal children Female bonobos form a strong sisterhood. They rule through female solidarity. Frans de Waal sisterhood female strong Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners. Frans de Waal listeners advantage poor Females avoid conflict. They are afraid of violence. The males, on the other hand, are less averse to strife. But once conflict breaks out, the males are much better at reconciling. In a study done in Finland, children who had quarreled were asked how much longer they intended to be angry at one another. The boys proudly said: "Oh, at least one or two days." The girls said "forever". Frans de Waal girl boys children Religion may have become a codification of morality, and it may fortify it, but it's not the origin of it. Frans de Waal morality may Studies of reconciliation in primates have demonstrated that if the relationship value increases between two parties they are more willing to make peace. Frans de Waal party study two Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive. Frans de Waal army soldier war If you want to design a successful human society you need to know what kind of animal we are. Are we a social animal or a selfish animal? Do we respond better when we're solitary or living in a group? Frans de Waal selfish successful animal You should know as much as you can about the human species if you have a hand in designing human society. Of course, I'm not saying that you can derive moral rules from nature - that's deriving an ought from an is, as the philosophers say - but you do need to know what kind of animals we are if you want to design a stable society. Frans de Waal design animal hands If you are a cooperative animal you need to watch what you get. If you, or even a whole community, invest in something but then a few individuals receive a much larger return, it's not a good arrangement. If it happens consistently, it's time to look for an arrangement that is more beneficial. That's why we're so sensitive to how rewards are being divided. Frans de Waal community animal needs If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced. Frans de Waal killing-each-other party chance
