I certainly wouldn’t discount the possibility. They unquestionably have empathy. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have spirituality too.
Comment on Without the precursor of Spirituality and Religion, there can be no morality.
Arkouda@lemmy.ca 3 days agoDoes an Elephant have morals?
Blueberrydreamer@lemmynsfw.com 3 days ago
Arkouda@lemmy.ca 3 days ago
How do you define morality?
Blueberrydreamer@lemmynsfw.com 3 days ago
A set of principles of behavior. A concept of actions that are acceptable within the social group, and actions that are not.
Elephants are animals with long memories, complex social structures, and even elaborate mourning rituals. It would not surprise me at all to find they have their own set of rules for being accepted into the herd.
jacksilver@lemmy.world 3 days ago
Given they mourn their dead, I think there is evidence that they do. If they can value a life, then there must be some framework within which that value stems from.
If we’re willing to agree on that, then the follow-up question would be, “do elephants have supernatural or religious beliefs?”, as you claim that’s required for morals.