- 20.03.2025
Instinct and Ethics: A Contrast in Behavior
The animal world is astonishing in its unchanging harmony, where every action is dictated by built-in, hereditary programs, turning instinct into a precise and automatic survival mechanism. Such reflexes, passed down through generations, demonstrate a natural regulation with a diminished influence of personal experience or conscious choice. In stark contrast are the norms of religious behavior in humans, which result from deliberate self-improvement and a profound moral choice that forms the ethical foundation of one’s inner world. Here, every rule—from observing church etiquette to respectfully honoring higher values—is rooted in collective cultural experience and spiritual tradition, reflecting humanity’s desire not only for external harmony in society but also for inner growth. This dual nature of behavior—nature’s automatism versus a conscious aspiration toward nobility—emphasizes the unique and multifaceted character of human existence, turning life’s journey into a dynamic interp