“It has been said that only men have a moral sense, that only men have free will – if indeed free will is possible at all. The word “moral” has endless connotations, of course. Yet animals have their own “morality”, their own codes of honor, and their own impeccable sense of balance with all other creatures. They have loving emotional relationships, complicated societies, and in a certain sense at least – an important one – they also have their arts and sciences. But those “arts and sciences” are not based upon reasoning, as you understand it.
“Animals also possess independent volition, and while I am emphasizing animals here, the same applies to any creature, large or small: insect, bird, fish, or worm; to plant life; to cells, atoms, or electrons. They possess free will in relationship to the conditions of their existence.”
(Dreams, “Evolution” and Value Fulfillment, Session 907)
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