The fact that human beings take a “all animals are savage, primitive machines until proven wrong” POV is genuinely tragic. Was it Descartes that posited the screams of a dog being flayed were merely its programming?
Being surprised that animals so different than us possibly dream is just another form of Descartes’ ridiculous thought.
It felt like a textbook example of not being able to see the forest for the trees; he was so focused on showing that the whale’s behavior was determined by biology (and therefore was not an example of altruism) that he forgot all behavior in all animals, including humans, is determined by biology.
To generalize, draw on your “experience” (movies, thought experiments) from crime, business, sports, society etc.
‘Altruism’ only appears so on the individual’s level but there’s zero surprise this is an evolutionary advantageous trait from a species perspective, so, frankly, I never understood why we make it out to be that mystery.
In humans, that genetic programming manifests via feelings of love that make us act accordingly.
Why would it be different for animals?
I was always tempted to respond with, “Good point. I’ll bet dogs are delicious.”