The Universal KinshipMoore, J. Howard (John Howard)
Philosophy
The Universal Kinship
Moore, J. Howard (John Howard)
Evolution; Human beings; Sociology
_Emotion_ is the stirring of the sensibilities by way of the
intellect or the imagination. The following emotions are found in
non-human beings: fear, surprise, affection, pugnacity, play, pride,
anger, jealousy, curiosity, sympathy, emulation, resentment,
appreciation of the beautiful, grief, hate, cruelty, joy,
benevolence, revenge, shame, remorse, and appreciation of the
ludicrous. Excepting the emotions of conscience and religion, which
are really compounds, with fear as the main ingredient, this list of
non-human emotions is coextensive with the list of human emotions.
Many of these emotions germinate low down in the animal kingdom,
fear, anger, sexuality, and jealousy all being found in fishes and
in the higher invertebrates. In the higher vertebrates many of these
emotions are almost as strong as they are in men. Does anyone who
has felt the throbbing sides of a frightened puppy or hare have any
doubt that these creatures suffer the keenest agony of fear? Apes
have been known to fall down and faint when suddenly confronted by a
snake, so great is their instinctive horror of serpents; and gray
parrots, which are extremely nervous birds, have been known to drop
from their perch unconscious under the influence of great fear.[2]
The horse is, perhaps, of all animals, the one which occasionally
gives itself over most completely to the emotion of fear, as
everyone who has witnessed the terrible abandon of a runaway team
can testify. Ants, fishes, birds, cats, dogs, horses, monkeys,
porpoises, and many other animals play. Young kittens, colts, and
puppies enjoy a scuffle about as well as boys do. Pugnacity
originates among the spiders and insects, and is highly developed in
the ant, cock, and bulldog. This emotion is strong in the males of
nearly all vertebrates. Anyone who has observed the vigilance
displayed by fishes in protecting their nests can have little doubt
that these comparatively primitive beings possess pugnacity. I was
one evening floating in a boat by the edge of a Long Island pond
just over a village of perches. Each nest was guarded by an
assiduous male, who hovered over it vigilantly, or darted this way
and that to drive off the piscatorial _hoi polloi_ hanging about the
neighbourhood, ready to slip in at the first opportunity and eat the
eggs. Just to see what would happen, I put my hand down into the
water and moved it slowly toward one of the nests. To my surprise,
the guardian of the nest, instead of fleeing in alarm, proceeded to
show fight. It chased my hand away time after time, and when the
hand was not removed it would nip it vigorously, not once simply,
but two or three times if necessary, and each time with increasing
energy. It contended with the courage of a little hero. I pushed it
and jostled it about, and even took it in my hand and lifted it
clear out of the water. To my amazement, on getting back into the
water, it returned promptly to the attack. It fought until it was
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