shame and guilt??

[denuseri]

Then why is it that monkey's in the wild who faked making the call (ie crying wolf) alerting the troop they are in of a predator being nearby (so that they could steal the fruit they traditonally would first offer to the troops alpha male first for themselves) later show every sign of guilt that human beings do when back in the presence of said alpha and the rest of the troop?

Learned behavior from humans? I think not.

Wolves and big cats in the wild and even birds like crows do the same types of things.

These so called "higher" emotions that human beings exhibit are simpley not as uniquely "human" or as high as we would like to admit sometimes.

And have a well established place within evolution and the actual structural to functional relationships of our bodies and minds that can be benifical to our survival as a group.

Imagine a world where no shame/guilt existed at all, where no one or thing would feel even the slightest bit of remorse for anything they did to anyone or anything.

[thir]

Then why is it that monkey's in the wild who faked making the call (ie crying wolf) alerting the troop they are in of a predator being nearby (so that they could steal the fruit they traditonally would first offer to the troops alpha male first for themselves) later show every sign of guilt that human beings do when back in the presence of said alpha and the rest of the troop?

Learned behavior from humans? I think not.

Wolves and big cats in the wild and even birds like crows do the same types of things.

These so called "higher" emotions that human beings exhibit are simpley not as uniquely "human" or as high as we would like to admit sometimes.

And have a well established place within evolution and the actual structural to functional relationships of our bodies and minds that can be benifical to our survival as a group.

Imagine a world where no shame/guilt existed at all, where no one or thing would feel even the slightest bit of remorse for anything they did to anyone or anything.

I am thinking much the same as Tantric was talking about, that maybe the we put too many human reactions on animals?

I do not think that only shame or guilt rules us. There are also instincts, or a will to do things in ways that feels good.