Macaques Refuse Food If Others Get Hurt
Another experiment was done on macaques. The macaques were given a chain and taught that they would be fed if they pulled the chain. The catch, however, was that every time they pulled the chain, another macaque would be shocked. It was an experiment similar to the one done on mice but a little bit crueler—because if the macaques didn’t pull the chain, they weren’t fed at all.
Even though it meant risking starvation, 87 percent of the macaques refused to pull the chain if they knew that it would hurt another macaque. In one case, a macaque went a full two weeks without eating rather than deal with the guilt of hurting another animal.
It’s pretty impressive but even more significant when you compare that to another study. Because another group of scientists did a similar experiment on a different animal—humans. They paid people to pull a lever that they claimed would shock another person with electricity. That other person was an actor who pretended to be in incredible pain every time they pulled the lever.
In the experiment with humans, a full 87 percent of the people pulled the lever all the way to a space marked “Danger! Severe Shock!” even while hearing their victim scream in pain. It was all to get a few dollars that they could have easily earned by getting a job at McDonald’s.
You have to ask yourself just how far up the evolutionary scale are we really, if we can't even emphasize with the same level as some animals! Like I said, who are the real animals here?
Coffee out on the patio this morning Fresh baked cookies are ready.
