Reverend Jack Carlson

It would be unfair to say that only the religious consider humans to be a unique creation. I know a few non-religious writers and speakers who consider our larger and more complex brain as evidence that mankind has somehow evolved beyond other animals. They believe that our consciousness and our propensity for abstract thought puts us above, or at least separate to some degree, from other animals.

Humans used to be thought of as occupying an existential space between animals and gods. Clearly our bodies display our affinity to animals, while our minds possess intellectual and moral capacities seemingly beyond the reach of physical objects. This even led some to identify us with either animals (we are mammals) or gods (we are immortal, immaterial souls). (Source-Philosophy Now)

As our understanding of the brain’s inner workings increases, we are just beginning to suspect that in our egocentric view of our place in the animal kingdom we have given ourselves too much credit and other animals too little.

Cleo, my significant other

For centuries, humans have imagined they are the only animals with morals. But humans are not alone in the moral arena, a new breed of behavior experts says.

Dogs are full of natural goodness and have rich emotional lives, said animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

A dog’s code of ethics is on display daily in parks, backyards and family rooms.

“We’re not trying to elevate animals,” Bekoff said. “We’re not trying to reduce humans. We’re not saying we’re better or worse or the same. We’re saying we’re not alone in having a nuanced moral system.”

Bekoff, co-author of “Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals,” spent thousands of hours observing coyotes, wolves and dogs. He analyzed videotapes frame by frame. The work convinced him these animals possess empathy and compassion, the emotions upon which moral sense is built.

While much the same can be said of monkeys, wolves, elephants, dolphins, whales and other social animals, dogs are special cases; they share in human lives, he said.

“Dogs know they are dependent. They learn to read us,” Bekoff said. “Dogs develop this great sense of trust. We’re tightly linked, and there is something spiritual about that unity.”

“I’m convinced many animals can distinguish right from wrong,” Bekoff said.

He said looking for the roots of morality in animals is a difficult scientific undertaking. It begins with looking for emotions central to morality, such as empathy: understanding of another’s situation, feelings and motives.

In humans, emotions are centered in specific brain structures and are affected by chemicals called neurotransmitters. Mammals possess the same brain structures, affected by the same chemicals as humans.

“Dogs apparently laugh,” Page said. The same brain structures show the same activity in laughing humans and in dogs that are enjoying themselves. A dog’s laugh is a rhythmic pant.

To prevent any misunderstanding, a dog will signal to another dog that the imminent jostling, nipping and chasing are “just play” rather than aggression, he said.

The game is initiated with the “play bow.” A dog, wolf or coyote will crouch on its forelimbs while keeping its rear upright.

Any hard-biting cheats find themselves excluded from games.

“Dogs are thinking animals,” Bekoff said. “They seek the outcomes they want. They avoid the ones they don’t. They solve problems. They have expectations. They have hopes.”

Critics skeptical about some research trends in animal thinking, emotion and morality downplay the evidence as often anecdotal and anthropomorphic, that is attributing human motivation or characteristics to animals.

Bekoff countered that thousands of anecdotes equal data. And anthropomorphism, he said, is a misleading label for what is a shared evolutionary history.

Humans and dogs share most of their genes and a great deal of physiology and behavior. Bekoff sees that shared heritage extending into the spiritual realm. (Source-Seattle Times)

Our belief that we are somehow separate from and superior to nature has been one of the worst attitudes humanity has ever entertained. It has caused us to defile the only planet in the accessable universe upon which we can survive. It blinds us to the beauty and true spirituality of nature. Through ignorance and egotistic presumption we have crowned ourselves kings of the planet.

We don’t deserve that crown. We don’t need the crown, either.

We need to train ourselves, convince ourselves, free ourselves to realize we are but parts of the whole. We are not worth more than other lifeforms, we are not worth less. All life is but a part of the nature of the planet. You are not more important to the universe than your dog, nor are you any less important than your dog. You both have unique and complimentary roles to play in the natural order. Perhaps the most uncomfortable reality is that neither of you mean very much to the universe. Humanity, indeed all life on this planet, is a minute percentage of the matter in the universe. In the overall scheme of things, we are less noticeable to the rest of reality than the dust mites in your pillow.

It’s OK to not be the center of the universe. It’s a good thing to understand our place in nature while at the same time using the advantages nature has endowed upon us with humility and a sense of responsibility.

This is another dangerous lie we’ve let ourselves believe to be true; because we were put here by a “higher power” who created everything and is ultimately responsible for everything, we are not responsible for our own existence. It’s all someone else’s doing. We are but bit parts in the war between good and evil personified as gods and devils. We have abdicated responsibility and lived like frat boys on Spring break. Those who grew up following Buddhism and Taoism better understand our place in the universe.

We cannot escape the outcome of our folly. The effects of our presense here are coming back to bite us. Yet we are advancing in our knowledge of how to live more responsibly, and more people around the planet are starting to do what they can to reduce their impact on the Earth. Perhaps mankind will eventually learn to live in harmony with the rest of nature globally.

Cleo has let me know that I’ve been ignoring her for too long and she requires my attention. And I need hers. Time to slide the keyboard away.