QA on racism Q 6 Why is racism seen in humans, but not in animals?

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Q6: Why is racism seen in humans, but not in animals?

Question:
Thank you very much. Hare Krishna, Prabhuji. I have another question.

Answer:
Yes, please go ahead.

Question:
Why is racism so rampant among human beings, but we don’t seem to observe it among animals? Or is it present in animals, but we just don’t recognize it?

Answer:
That’s an interesting question. How would we even identify racism in animals, and how would it compare to racism among humans?

Animals are primarily driven by biological instincts—the urge to survive, to reproduce, and to protect what is essential for their survival and reproduction. Along with that, they need to rest and sleep. In scriptural terms, animal life is governed by four basic activities: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.

So yes, animals do show group behavior and hierarchy. For example, some animals are solitary by nature, like lions or tigers, who usually live and hunt alone. That’s why we use terms like “lone wolves” even in human society—often to describe individuals who act alone, such as in terrorism.

Among animals that live in groups—like deer, monkeys, or elephants—hierarchies and territories do exist. It’s not always easy for an animal from one group to be accepted into another. But this is primarily driven by instincts for survival, not ideological constructs.

Humans, on the other hand, have not only biological instincts but also a higher level of intelligence and free will. This allows us to consciously plan—not just for our own survival, but for our families, communities, and even abstract futures. For instance, we can save money today because we’re planning for something months or years ahead. Animals may seem to plan (like squirrels storing nuts or bears preparing to hibernate), but that’s instinct-driven, not a consciously designed long-term strategy.

Because we humans have higher intelligence and free will, we can formulate ideologies—systems of thought that influence how we behave. Racism is one such ideology. It isn’t just a biological reflex. It’s a learned belief system that categorizes people based on skin color or ethnicity and assigns value based on that.

Take a historical example: During World War II, the British were ruling India. There was a severe food shortage, and famine was looming. Although Indian soldiers were fighting for Britain, food supplies were prioritized for Australia (a white-majority ally), not for starving Indians. It’s reported that around seven million people died in the Bengal famine. When India’s viceroy sent a telegram to the British Prime Minister, pleading for help, the infamous reply was: “If people are dying, why is Gandhi still alive?”

That decision wasn’t purely logistical—it was influenced by racial prejudice, seeing Indians as inferior or less deserving of care than the white Australians. This is an example of racism rooted in ideology. Such ideologies require intelligence and free will to develop, whether for good or bad.

Even destructive systems like Nazism or extremist ideologies like those behind terrorist attacks require a certain kind of intelligence and planning—though it’s misused intelligence. Animals simply don’t have this capacity. That’s why you don’t see racism—or communism, nationalism, or any other “ism”—in animal societies. They don’t have the conceptual ability to create and enforce ideological constructs.

So to summarize:
Racism arises not from natural instincts but from intellectual and ideological choices, and such choices require a level of intelligence and free will that animals don’t possess. That’s why racism exists among humans but not in the animal world.

Thank you.