@sepukku
Not really surprised there, mate. Morality is just another way of implementing survival of the fittest. Groups are stronger than individuals so ,of course, an evolutionary mechanism would crop up to ensure group cooperation.
The big difference in humans and animals though, is the long infancy stage of humans where our brains are incredibly plastic. Newer research shows that even in adulthood and adoloscence, the human brains is still plastic but even moreso in infancy. Our capability to learn so much adds a much more complicated twist to our morality.
I've always been bothered by the people that say that humanity is defined by our morality when other animals also have some form of primitive morality. Aren't we defined by our incredible intelligence that allows us to EFFECTIVELY enforce group morality? Case in point: ethics. Ethics are efficient and objective way of applying morality.
Definitely makes sense from an evolutionary perspective and of course, from instinct. But nature still manages to amaze me and I think the things you can see and learn about nature are simply awesome. I remember having a discussion a long time ago with somebody who didn't think animals had emotions, I think it's absolutely ridiculous anybody could even think that way, how much of a bubble would you have live in to have not experience or acknowledge an animal demonstrating some level of emotion?
But anyway I think one of our greater advantages is our capacity for language, it's much larger than other animals. Though I don't think we have any traits that are special in the animal kingdom - we can just see them appear in different species of animals, it's just the special part is the complexity of those traits.
although I have always felt ethics (as an individual pursuit, not the rigourously exact nomenclature) is more like an art than a science.
I think that's a fair way of thinking it. I don't think you can look at ethics in an objective way as it is really just abstract and not something that can be objectively measured. There may be some models of ethics that are absolutist, but they're just subjective to those who set the 'rules'. Though my ethics are more situational and relative and relies heavily on my own beliefs.
Considering ethics is a means of self-expression, I think the word 'art' is definitely apt.
