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MORAL SENSE AND EMPATHY: hUMAN, NOT ANIMAL
Humans’ evolved empathy and moral sense are adaptations that enable most of us to rise above utterly selfish, brutish behaviour. By behaving humanely, humans defy nature.
Non-human animals such as lions, eagles, and bears have no ethical sense, and behave with breathtaking selfishness, callousness, and savagery towards all but their immediate kin. Normal human behaviour is saintly by comparison. Most people behave “humanely” most of the time, not just towards family and friends, but also towards perfect strangers and animals.
If humans had not evolved an ethical sense, Homo sapiens likely would have died out long ago. Constant warfare, natural pathogens, predators and other natural phenomena would have done in the human species by now. (Of course, darker human impulses of those with access to massive technology-based power may one day win out and lead to our quick extinction.)