{"id":30774,"date":"2017-05-30T01:04:35","date_gmt":"2017-05-29T19:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yaabot.com\/?p=30774"},"modified":"2024-01-15T18:06:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-15T12:36:09","slug":"the-evolution-of-human-morality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entropymag.co\/the-evolution-of-human-morality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Human Morality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From the beginning of the 20th century, researchers on non-human primates like chimpanzees and orangutangs have shown us that they are capable of many things that are considered completely human. For instance – empathising, making tools and forming friendships. But perhaps not human morality.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans, however, can do more than just create and feel emotions. We have language, laws, and culture, showcasing the profound intricacies of our existence. For a long time, the most dominant explanation for these concepts was the intelligence of the human brain, which is three times larger than the chimpanzee brain. But in recent years, scientists have subtly suggested that our more social nature, intricately intertwined with the complex tapestry of human morality, has allowed us to advance much further than the apes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human Morality: History<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Almost 150 years ago, Charles Darwin proposed <\/a>that human morality was a byproduct of evolution. \u201cThe difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind.\u201d Charles writes in his book The Descent of Man (1871). <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it has been argued that the presence of social nature isn\u2019t adequate\u00a0to fully distinguish between humans and other higher non-primate animals. For instance, male chimpanzees can form political alliances and sometimes work together to hunt. And this requires both advanced social skills. As the psychologist Michael Tomasello points out –\u00a0humans are not just socially intelligent. They are ultra-social<\/em> in ways that the apes and chimpanzees are not. We\u00a0have an enhanced capacity for cooperation, that was the consequence of our species\u2019 evolutionary path.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 6 million years ago, after humans and chimpanzees diverged from their common ancestors, both species adopted different strategies and methods for obtaining food. For instance, chimpanzees who mostly ate fruits gathered and ate the majority of their food alone. On the other hand, humans became collaborative foragers. Fossil records indicate\u00a0that 400,000 years ago, they were working together to hunt large game. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a practice that some researchers believe could have arisen out of necessity, which is when fruits and vegetables were hardly available. That is when early humans continued the difficult work of foraging and hunting small games on their own. Or\u00a0banded together to take home the animal with more meat<\/span>, showcasing the intricate interplay between evolutionary dynamics and the development of cooperative behaviors in the context of human morality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Evolution<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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