Group b would. But this makes me think of another question. Do you think we were empathetic from the beginning or were we originally selfish from the beginning? I would think that if we were originally empathetic, because if we weren’t, we would’ve died out. But did we figure out to work together before we died or did we start off empathetic? [spoiler]I, personally, am a Christian who believes in creationism, but I’m trying to look at this from an evolutionary point of view. [/spoiler]

By “the beginning,” that could mean different things. By the beginning of Homo sapiens? Australopithecines? Some earlier mammalian species? I would think that “moral”-looking behavior would have coevolved with our increasing dependence on one another; I’m not sure whereabouts on our evolutionary history that would fall, but certainly before our ancestors were recognize-ably human. One slightly off-topic side note is that we have an abnormally large frontal cortex compared to other species. So while other social animals cooperate instinctively, we have the capacity to reason why we [i]should[/i] act morally rather than rely on pure instinct. Luckily that means that even individuals suffering from psychopathy can behave morally.

[quote]By “the beginning,” that could mean different things. By the beginning of Homo sapiens? Australopithecines? Some earlier mammalian species?[/quote] I guess Homo sapiens. [quote]I would think that “moral”-looking behavior would have coevolved with our increasing dependence on one another; I’m not sure whereabouts on our evolutionary history that would fall, but certainly before our ancestors were recognize-ably human.[/quote] Sort of as a byproduct of us hang around and defending one another? If that’s what you mean, I would ask, “Why don’t other animals have moral ethics as well?” They hang around other animals all the time. [quote]One slightly off-topic side note is that we have an abnormally large frontal cortex compared to other species. So while other social animals cooperate instinctively, we have the capacity to reason why we [i]should[/i] act morally rather than rely on pure instinct. Luckily that means that even individuals suffering from psychopathy can behave morally.[/quote] Why do we have that large frontal cortex? I mean, I know it was probably a mutation at some point, but there would be no need for that mutation. I’m pretty sure the reason survival adaptions because more “popular,” I guess, is because they are more useful to survive. But many other animals don’t have a larger frontal cortex and they survived, so that isn’t a [i]super[/i] advantageous mutation. [spoiler]Sorry if this is a lot[/spoiler]

[quote][quote]By “the beginning,” that could mean different things. By the beginning of Homo sapiens? Australopithecines? Some earlier mammalian species?[/quote] I guess Homo sapiens. [quote]I would think that “moral”-looking behavior would have coevolved with our increasing dependence on one another; I’m not sure whereabouts on our evolutionary history that would fall, but certainly before our ancestors were recognize-ably human.[/quote] Sort of as a byproduct of us hang around and defending one another? If that’s what you mean, I would ask, “Why don’t other animals have moral ethics as well?” They hang around other animals all the time. [quote]One slightly off-topic side note is that we have an abnormally large frontal cortex compared to other species. So while other social animals cooperate instinctively, we have the capacity to reason why we [i]should[/i] act morally rather than rely on pure instinct. Luckily that means that even individuals suffering from psychopathy can behave morally.[/quote] Why do we have that large frontal cortex? I mean, I know it was probably a mutation at some point, but there would be no need for that mutation. I’m pretty sure the reason survival adaptions because more “popular,” I guess, is because they are more useful to survive. But many other animals don’t have a larger frontal cortex and they survived, so that isn’t a [i]super[/i] advantageous mutation.[/quote] Other social animals do display moral behaviors, though, at least within their groups. As for the large frontal cortex, it provided humans a way to occupy their particular niche in the ecosystem which relied heavily on being able to communicate and think in abstract concepts, and to learn and understand the world around them. A larger brain did not come without its disadvantages, however, which may explain why it’s not commonplace in other animals. Women died in childbirth often because of the larger cranium. The brain requires a significant increase in calories, and our dependence on learning (rather than instinct) meant a long childhood and dependence on parents for food and protection.