Document type : TV documentary from the Arte TVwebsite available from 03/04 to 02/05/2021 (53 min)
Author: Gabi Schlag
Preview: Whereas it is obvious that animals are endowed with emotions, such as joy, fear or pain, are they capable of experiencing more complex feelings, such as altruism or empathy? Do they have a sense of morality or justice? In the view of some ethologists, these qualities may have had a crucial role to play in the survival and evolution of species.
At the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and Emory University in Atlanta, research into the behaviour of chimpanzees, elephants and crows has highlighted the cooperative qualities and social skills that are are crucial for group cohesion and survival. Could these form part of some sort of morality resulting from evolution? This documentary provides some surprising answers.
