fubarobfusco comments on Mike Darwin on animal research, moral cowardice, and reasoning in an uncaring universe - Less Wrong

23 Post author: Synaptic 25 August 2012 04:38PM

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Comment author: fubarobfusco 26 August 2012 05:43:12AM -1 points [-]

I probably should have quoted the specific part I was thinking of in that comment:

The best the universe has done so far is to produce us - creatures who both can and do care about injustice and suffering. If you believe in a Grand Design, or some other teleological explanation that results in universal justice, then, go to the mirror right now and take a long hard look, because buddy, you are it - you are as good as it has gotten, so far.

This got me thinking about ① just how empathetic various animals can be towards one another, towards other species, and so on; ② how empathy relates to human intelligence; and ③ how much it relates to simpler forms of distress caused by another creature's suffering.