I think if mammals were to evolve greater intelligence and were able to build and transfer knowledge like us, enough to start colonizing space (or have their descendants do so), it’s quite likely they would end up with values similar to us (or within the normal range of human values), since they already have emotional empathy (emotional contagion + non-reciprocal altruism), and they would likely have to become more social and cooperative along the way.
Plausibly (although I really don’t know) other animals could become intelligent, social and cooperative without developing emotional empathy, and that could be bad. They could be selfish and Machiavellian. That being said, becoming social and cooperative may coincide with the development of emotional empathy and inequity aversion, since these will promote group fitness.
I’m not sure what other animals have emotional empathy. I know chickens have emotional empathy for their young, but this might not extend to other chickens. Parenting animals probably generally have emotional empathy for their offspring. I don’t know how far the emotional empathy of corvids, parrots and octopuses would extend, and these are some of the next smartest non-mammalian animals.
Interesting post!
I think if mammals were to evolve greater intelligence and were able to build and transfer knowledge like us, enough to start colonizing space (or have their descendants do so), it’s quite likely they would end up with values similar to us (or within the normal range of human values), since they already have emotional empathy (emotional contagion + non-reciprocal altruism), and they would likely have to become more social and cooperative along the way.
Plausibly (although I really don’t know) other animals could become intelligent, social and cooperative without developing emotional empathy, and that could be bad. They could be selfish and Machiavellian. That being said, becoming social and cooperative may coincide with the development of emotional empathy and inequity aversion, since these will promote group fitness.
I’m not sure what other animals have emotional empathy. I know chickens have emotional empathy for their young, but this might not extend to other chickens. Parenting animals probably generally have emotional empathy for their offspring. I don’t know how far the emotional empathy of corvids, parrots and octopuses would extend, and these are some of the next smartest non-mammalian animals.