Some theists insist that the existence of morality is a sign that God must exist - after all, morality couldn't evolve, right? Well maybe it can. Not only are there plenty of signs of rudimentary moral behavior among some animals, but some animals even show evidence of policing behavior in their social groups.

The Economist explains the recent findings of Jessica Flack, of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico:

The point about these individuals’ behaviour is that, unlike most so-called alpha animals, they do not just defend their own interests. They do that, too, of course. But they also intervene to break up conflicts between lower-ranking individuals in an apparently disinterested way. ... Dr Flack’s troop was comprised of 84 animals (of whom 45 were adults). She knew that three males in the group and one female were on the receiving end of a disproportionate number of acts of submissive behaviour. She also observed that these individuals acted as a police force by breaking up fights. Crucially, they did this by interposing themselves between the opponents, or threatening them both simultaneously and, as far as it was possible to see, impartially.

[T]hey rounded up and removed the male police for ten hours on a randomly chosen day once a fortnight (they left the female because they thought that removing her would be socially disruptive for other reasons). ... It turned out that policing is the keystone of macaque society. Removing the police resulted in the remaining monkeys grooming fewer others, playing with fewer others and dividing up into cliques as the social network that held the troop together broke down. The number of aggressive incidents also increased.

Policing is healthy for macaque social groups just as they are for humans. When there are police around to keep things under control, it’s possible for individuals to roam around more freely and socialize more widely. Why? Because they can feel secure that the “police” will protect them if something goes wrong. The police, in turn, are protected and aided by the ability to live in a larger social group.

Not everyone can be a member of the police, however — high ranking and strong individuals are required. It may be that once one of them achieves a certain status, they are obligated to serve as a policing force because they are the only ones which everyone will listen to. It’s no good to be a part of the police if everyone can beat you up and no one respects you.

 

Read More:

• Guide to Ethics and Morality
• News About Ethics
• Ethics and Culture