This video is something I watched when I was studying animal behavior back in high school. The video displays two Capuchin Monkeys, both being fed a different food. The monkey on the left is given cucumber, while the monkey on the right is given grapes. As the video progresses you begin to see a sense of jealousy develop in the monkey on the left. He hits his hands against the floor, shakes the cage, and throws his food back our of his cage. The questions raised by this video address the implications of emotions we generally assume to be human. Mating in nature exists and causes conflicts, based on primal urges and physical instincts, but this example displays a sense of true jealousy. He wants what he cannot have and that in turn angers the monkey, causing him to physically display his distress. It gets you wondering, if monkeys can conceive of ideas such as desire based on observation, what other instances is this mechanism evidenced in? Besides all of the interesting thoughts that this video raises, it’s also a human controlled environment, and has artificial influence. In nature I wonder if this same scenario would unfold, or does the human interaction drive this animistic representation of “jealousy.”
I love this video because I feel that it shows how “human-like” animals can be. Particularly monkeys, who we’re so closely related to. I feel that this relates to Walker’s essay where she discusses how she’s shocked at how easily we forget that they are so similar to us and how animals can feel the same way we can. This video is a prime example of the animal feeling a human emotion, jealousy, and I almost feel bad for the monkey in a way because it can’t be communicated to him that he’s not doing anything wrong so he can’t understand why he isn’t being rewarded in the same way. But even though this example is relatively harmless it makes you question the morality of using an animal, like a monkey, who so clearly feels things we can feel for other more gruesome medical experiments. It makes it difficult to justify if the value of the life of the monkey truly is worth less than that of a human.
Or, maybe it shows that jealousy is an emotion shared by all animals–including humans?
I think that this video is also very interesting and thought provoking. Similar to what Emma mentioned, it shows us how easily we forget how similar we (humans) are to other animals. This video reminded me of when Jane Goodall came to Lafayette two years ago. She was telling us the accounts she, as an observational scientist, witnessed. She observed that humans are not the only organisms that are capable of displaying emotion, intelligence, and family and social relationships. I think that this video is a good reminder of how ignorant we can be at times about the intelligence and emotions that non-humans hold.
Thanks for pointing out the connections to Goodall’s Lafayette talk. I think you’re right on target. Coincidentally, an interview with Goodall showed up on my FB feed this morning. Here’s the link. It’s also posted on our site.