Morality is just something people made up and has been passed down generations. I don’t think it’s an essence.
Of course we think killing people is wrong. It’s so embedded into our society. But what about smacking children? Or just walking past homeless people? Buying products that were produced by kids often at gunpoint? (cellphone batteries, anyone?)
I think it’s weird how people pick out the bible for morality. What about the state?
I think morality is used more for the betterment of society,for our species to survive we may need some code of ethics. Thousands of years ago humans could see that to survive we need an agreed on code,(the no man is an island quote comes to mind). Even some animals developed a system where if they work together it was easier to survive. The Buddah’s golden rule comes to mind.
What some people’s religion teaches about morality can be different in some ways than others.
Monavis
You have the cart before the horse here. First you need to establish that the dog feels guilt, then you may be able to assert that a certain “look” is associated with such a feeling.
I strongly recommend The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson, for an in depth treatise on canine behavioral response.
Suffice it to say that the notion that dogs possess an understanding of morality, based on an observation of the way they look, is absolutely unsupported.
Interesting that so many people in this thread have instantly jumped from “morality” to “guilt.” What about altruism? There have been stories for centuries of dolphins rescuing drowning sailors. Assuming these were not totally apocryphal, could that be argued to be an altruistic act on behalf of the dolphin? It clearly gains nothing by the act, and it’s not acting based on a history of training or breeding to help human beings. I suppose there could be another explanation for the behavior that I’m not thinking of, but on the surface, that sounds like a purely moral act from a member of the animal kingdom.
I think morality does come from within, and animals have all the emotions, feelings, and morality that humans do only not as developed. As an individual gains knowledge and wisdom he also gains morality. He is not as likely to walk past a homeless person without offering some kind of help. The people we look up to, our role models, are nearly all very moral people. They believe in and teach high ideals of kindness, compassion, and love.
Has anyone here listened to the Radio Lab podcast on morality? They go into the moral sense of chimps. They even call that sense inside you, which tells you “NO! Don’t kill that person!” you “inner chimp.”