The Morality Issue

I have always been interested in neuropsychology, neuroscience, emotion regulation, and the intrinsic relationship between the mind perspective and the brain perspective. Some time ago I had the luxury to read Jaak Panksepp’s Affective Neuroscience. Dr Panksepp’s discoveries and publications in the late 1990s about animal mental experience set the cornerstone to guide further research and empirical-based findings that keep on explaining the underpinnings of human subjective experience and objective brain functioning. The field of neuropsychoanalysis, nurtured by Dr Panksepp’s findings in affective neuroscience thru animal research, has been growing for 20 years now, and keeps on moving forward. As a psychologist, my learnings on this field enrich me professionally and personally, I must say.

7 Basic Affects All Mammals Share

Let’s take a step back and talk about the 7 emotion systems that Dr Panksepp explains generate in the ancient brain of all mammals, in the upper brainstem. These 7 emotion systems (affects) are: the Seeking system, the Rage system, the Fear system, the Panic/Attachment system, the Care system, the Lust system, and the Play system. These are basic affective systems that arise in the ancient brain. They are phylogenetic inheritances in the species to maximize the probabilities to survive and procreate. These emotional systems activate when the individual encounters an internal or external trigger. We can hypothesize that humans are the only ones who, due to our advanced cognitive cortical systems, have the flexibility to choose whether to react (in behavior) or not to a specific trigger.

 What I am saying here is that animals care for others, as most of us good humans do. They get attached to significant others, and feel the need to be close and be loved. All mammals are afraid sometimes and need care and comfort, just like we do. They may get angry and do so for good reasons, we should know. Animals also need to play, just like we do, and get in touch with the experience of hierarchy and power. Have you seen little children’s rough and tumble play? Yes, they are practicing hierarchy…not fun to loose all the time, and not nice to win all the time. And the excitement of pleasant experiences, the searching, exploring, having fun. All mammals need that. Yes, dogs, cats, horses, humans, all of them. You might see where I am going here… the link with the title of my article.

The Morality Issue

I’ve been an advocate of animal rights all my adulthood. I loved animals all my life and been helping the best I can. My pets have always been rescued dogs. You might have read my publication on Blanquita that I posted a few months ago. I have rescued dogs from the streets and found them good families to adopt them. I’m proud to help fund organizations as ASPCA so they keep on doing the fabulous job they do as advocates and voices of those who cannot speak with words.

I feel nourished by finally being able to explain that there is scientific evidence that shows that people like me are not just “nice people” who love animals. We are living by the most basic moral standards that should be in the core of every human being: now we know with scientific fact that it is amoral to see a stray dog looking for food and not try to help. Yes, maybe we are on our way to a meeting and helping will make us late. The question is: what is our value hierarchy? Are we aware of the level of amorality we are showing when we do not help an animal in need? How is it possible to be walking in a crowded avenue in a posh neighborhood in Buenos Aires, see a stray dog looking for attention, and pass by without even noticing her? I have witnessed the latter scenario many times during the years I lived in Argentina. Helping the strays while people walked by me without even looking at us made me feel weird, different. I always carried water, dog and cat food in the trunk of my car, and stopped every time I saw a stray.

Now, I am happy to say I feel very proud of myself while helping, and by no means, feel weird. I now know that it is not only that I feel more than other people, but also that I know better, I know that it is in the essence of human morality to honor the rights of all animals.

Just think about it.