If dogs can demonstrate loyalty, love, and moral behavior, to what extent can they be considered moral beings, and how does this challenge traditional definitions of morality?
Can dogs be immoral? We usually define morals as more than just expressing loyalty, or love. Our actions play a major role. Dogs do all sorts of things for humans. However they were trained.
Is this morality trained by us humans? Or are dogs more moral and sentient than we think?
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Well I’d say no.
Morality is a social construct, meaning we humans just made it up. It only applies to us.
Survival. Community groups create a protective environment for whatever species to thrive and breed.
Loyalty and love, maybe. Morality, as @Dutchess_III said, is invented by humans. So canine morality just isn’t a thing.
If anything, canine actions are instincts developed through millennia of canine evolution, as survival techniques and pack mentality. Not as philosophically-based actions
Yes. It’s instincts. They don’t think “I should not do this or God will punish me.”
BTW the “Social Contruct” was Simone Bouvia’s (sp) invention. I just stole it.
I don’t think there’s much reason to think that human “morality” is really any different to the instinctive cooperative and altruistic behaviours seen in many other species.
Humans are just able to intellectualise apparent moral behaviour, presumably because it allows them to publish lots of books and articles on the matter.
Dogs, rats, cats, and other animals, don’t have a language and don’t write, so there’s no mileage in them arguing over the philosophy of morality and ethical systems.
Nice @Kropotkin.
It can also be a way to control others.
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