Although morality has always been viewed as a human trait that sets us apart from the animals, it now appears our closest ancestors share the same scruples. Scientists have that discovered monkeys and apes can make judgements about fairness, offer sympathy and help and remember obligations. Researchers say the findings may demonstrate morality developed through evolution, a view that is likely to antagonise the devoutly religious, who see it as God-given. Professor Frans de Waal, who led the study at Emory University in Georgia, US, said: “I am not arguing that non-human primates are moral beings but there is enough evidence for the following of social rules to agree that some of the stepping stones towards human morality can be found in other animals.”
/update
Dr. Myers has a bit more about this from the biologist perspective.
I've always found it counter-intuitive that morals can only come from the supernatural man on the cloud. That would mean that those populations in the past that had no concept of a god had no morals.. which is just silly.
Morals.. or ethics.. are simply a function of higher intelligence. Once our species had time to contemplate things other than when the next meal comes, how to avoid death, and who to hump, there came time to think about empathy.
Leisure time changed a lot of things for humanity.
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