The issue is whether the killing was within their moral norms,(and not ours). — Coben
It was rare, but then perhaps the leader ape's behavior had been rare. Justifiable homicide is fairly rare also, but it still falls inside moral norms. I suppose even the leader's behavior might have been at an extreme end of norms. IOW I think, in general, humans can murder, but not animals. Unless they have been clearly part of devastated societies and they have societies. LIke the elephants that have been raping even Rhinos, but they've come from devastated packs and had no parenting, this due to humans. I think humans, with their ability to coldly calculate long term gains and so on can decide to go outside the norms of the group and murder. I think it can make sense to speak that way about us. Animals - and I give animals more credit than most humans do for being capable of things we are - I don't think have criminals in the same sense we do.rom what I’ve read actions like this are not within their norms. — Brett
Laws are about social organization. Otherwise, without laws it simply would be that people wouldn't like one killing another. I don't like that and you don't like that. I guess many would oppose that. You don't have to have a law for that. But with a law, you have the constructs of an society with formal institutions. Killing and murder are two different definitions.How would it be defined without the help of the law? — Brett
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