Hi Tony evolution teaches that we are related to all beings by our DNA.. their behavior alone makes them worthy of value.. I don't think though that our success as a specie is solely related to narcissism. We are doing what we are supposed to do, survive and reproduce and we have done it TOO WELL... Religion has postulated that we somehow rule the world but that is proving every day to be a narrative that hurts us as well as wildlife. It's complicated. So its a combination,how many faiths teach that we share so much DNA with rats? It doesn't serve their narrative or their income structure. Great article
This just in via email from a reader: "It's a great declaration. Perhaps it might be appropriate to suggest that the signers and others read What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz."
How moral, really, are we? I sometimes question if the collective morality of humanity pales in comparison to that of so-called amoral non-human life forms.
Thank you Tony. I so much agree with all you wrote. There is much more to the plant and animal world than the so-called "common" sense would have us believe. Believing so would not serve the interests of those profiting off of destroying the planet.
These profiting are a huge barrier to justice for life. At the same time, we've got a long way to go to open the minds of ordinary people to the inherent value of more than human life. Fortunately, there's a significant minority that already gets it.
Thanks so much for the expansion and links. The dry verbiage of the declaration did so little for me. I understand, they were just meeting the requirements of a formal statement. Your expansion helps to remind us that they are talking about life as we know it: the clever raccoon that plans ahead knowing not only how, but when to raid your camp larder, the anole doing push ups with his red dewlap flashing, or the huge mother bass watching over her fry. Sure, even as a PhD Zoologist you may still be accused of anthropomorphizing, but all those animal reels on social media don't lie. These creatures have their own lives and their own awarenesses. They know what they are doing, why, and who matters to them. For most of the the undomesticated ones, humans are clutter and an annoyance, to be ignored and avoided. We however are the moral ones, and must make wise declarations and hope that we and our fellow humans know how to behave to assure the well-being of these fellow living beings.
The idea that the animals are intrinsically moral and are sensitive to morality in humans goes way back in time. For example, in the Old Testament, there’s the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, where the lions recognize his goodness and don’t eat him. Probably the story of the animals present at Christ’s birth reflects that animals are intrinsically attracted to what is good and constitute an important part of human goodness. There are a lot of very ancient stories where animals talk and give important messages. The Indian epic The Mahabharata is transcribed by Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. I think ancient peoples understood a lot better than we do today that animals and humans are connected. For example, look at ancient Greek depictions of human-animal hybrids, such as angels, centaurs, satyrs, mermaids, etc.
Unfortunately, as humans “evolved”, they morphed into storyteller fear-mongers that even manifests today in our treatment of animals. One example - Little Red Riding Hood. Thanks, Brothers Grimm!
I did some research into the origins of the word “evil,” looking for its Indo European roots. And from what I can tell, it’s derived from our word for “wolf.” In other words, the wolf = evil. But who knows what “evil” meant to early speakers. Did it mean what we think of now—morally corrupt—or did it simply mean something that would eat you up and kill you if you weren’t careful? The ancient wolf species from which dogs are descended went extinct. Why? was it because they were systematically exterminated or was it something else? If the word “evil” derived from the word “wolf,” it gives a linguistic dimension to our deep-seated fear of wolves, as in the story you cited. I think just as humans can be morally good or bad/evil, animals can be the same from the human perspective. The human perception of animals is a deep and fascinating subject for sure. Generally speaking, I think the further we go back in time, the more we see close connections and interrelationships, but going forward in time, we see less, unfortunately.
You’re welcome! Thanks for your commentary. Thinking about the excellent photo that accompanies your post, I am reminded that Horus was a central deity in the ancient Egyptian pantheon. 😊
This falls under the category of “no shit Sherlock“ pardon my French please.
Yes, it's so freak'n obvious.
Hi Tony evolution teaches that we are related to all beings by our DNA.. their behavior alone makes them worthy of value.. I don't think though that our success as a specie is solely related to narcissism. We are doing what we are supposed to do, survive and reproduce and we have done it TOO WELL... Religion has postulated that we somehow rule the world but that is proving every day to be a narrative that hurts us as well as wildlife. It's complicated. So its a combination,how many faiths teach that we share so much DNA with rats? It doesn't serve their narrative or their income structure. Great article
Great to read this. I'll just add, plants too!
And fungi etc.!
yep, everything!
Cambridge made almost this exact declaration 12 years ago -typical of the U.S. to be so behind in this kind of thought.
Thanks. Post a link here if you happen to have it on hand.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_consciousness#Cambridge_Declaration_on_Consciousness
This just in via email from a reader: "It's a great declaration. Perhaps it might be appropriate to suggest that the signers and others read What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz."
How moral, really, are we? I sometimes question if the collective morality of humanity pales in comparison to that of so-called amoral non-human life forms.
Thank you Tony. I so much agree with all you wrote. There is much more to the plant and animal world than the so-called "common" sense would have us believe. Believing so would not serve the interests of those profiting off of destroying the planet.
These profiting are a huge barrier to justice for life. At the same time, we've got a long way to go to open the minds of ordinary people to the inherent value of more than human life. Fortunately, there's a significant minority that already gets it.
Thanks so much for the expansion and links. The dry verbiage of the declaration did so little for me. I understand, they were just meeting the requirements of a formal statement. Your expansion helps to remind us that they are talking about life as we know it: the clever raccoon that plans ahead knowing not only how, but when to raid your camp larder, the anole doing push ups with his red dewlap flashing, or the huge mother bass watching over her fry. Sure, even as a PhD Zoologist you may still be accused of anthropomorphizing, but all those animal reels on social media don't lie. These creatures have their own lives and their own awarenesses. They know what they are doing, why, and who matters to them. For most of the the undomesticated ones, humans are clutter and an annoyance, to be ignored and avoided. We however are the moral ones, and must make wise declarations and hope that we and our fellow humans know how to behave to assure the well-being of these fellow living beings.
Humanity thrives on its sense of morality. Therein lies some hope!
The idea that the animals are intrinsically moral and are sensitive to morality in humans goes way back in time. For example, in the Old Testament, there’s the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, where the lions recognize his goodness and don’t eat him. Probably the story of the animals present at Christ’s birth reflects that animals are intrinsically attracted to what is good and constitute an important part of human goodness. There are a lot of very ancient stories where animals talk and give important messages. The Indian epic The Mahabharata is transcribed by Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. I think ancient peoples understood a lot better than we do today that animals and humans are connected. For example, look at ancient Greek depictions of human-animal hybrids, such as angels, centaurs, satyrs, mermaids, etc.
Yes, an interesting thought!
Unfortunately, as humans “evolved”, they morphed into storyteller fear-mongers that even manifests today in our treatment of animals. One example - Little Red Riding Hood. Thanks, Brothers Grimm!
I did some research into the origins of the word “evil,” looking for its Indo European roots. And from what I can tell, it’s derived from our word for “wolf.” In other words, the wolf = evil. But who knows what “evil” meant to early speakers. Did it mean what we think of now—morally corrupt—or did it simply mean something that would eat you up and kill you if you weren’t careful? The ancient wolf species from which dogs are descended went extinct. Why? was it because they were systematically exterminated or was it something else? If the word “evil” derived from the word “wolf,” it gives a linguistic dimension to our deep-seated fear of wolves, as in the story you cited. I think just as humans can be morally good or bad/evil, animals can be the same from the human perspective. The human perception of animals is a deep and fascinating subject for sure. Generally speaking, I think the further we go back in time, the more we see close connections and interrelationships, but going forward in time, we see less, unfortunately.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. And thank you for sending me news of the Declaration that triggered this post!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your commentary. Thinking about the excellent photo that accompanies your post, I am reminded that Horus was a central deity in the ancient Egyptian pantheon. 😊