Source: 📖 21 Lessons for the 21st Century ch12 p219
It is false to claim that ethics were born of any particular religion, as many tribes through history adhered to moral codes long before any of today's main religions existed. Even animals exhibit ethical behaviour, such as wolves acting out the idea of fair play—if one wolf repeatedly bites too hard, or refuses to stop when his adversary has rolled over and surrendered, the other wolves will refuse to play with him in the future.
Chimpanzees demonstrate sophisticated altruism, with dominant males often helping those at the bottom of the hierarchy. It is possible that they become the dominant males in the first place because they demonstrate altruism, thereby attracting support of their peers.