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Evolutionary precursors of social norms in chimpanzees: a new approach

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Abstract

Moral behaviour, based on social norms, is commonly regarded as a hallmark of humans. Hitherto, humans are perceived to be the only species possessing social norms and to engage in moral behaviour. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting their presence in chimpanzees, but systematic studies are lacking. Here, we examine the evolution of human social norms and their underlying psychological mechanisms. For this, we distinguish between conventions, cultural social norms and universal social norms. We aim at exploring whether chimpanzees possess evolutionary precursors of universal social norms seen in humans. Chimpanzees exhibit important preconditions for their presence and enforcement: tolerant societies, well-developed social-cognitive skills and empathetic competence. Here, we develop a theoretical framework for recognizing different functional levels of social norms and distinguish them from mere statistical behavioural regularities. Quasi social norms are found where animals behave functionally moral without having moral emotions. In proto social norms, moral emotions might be present but cannot be collectivized due to the absence of a uniquely human psychological trait, i.e. shared intentionality. Human social norms, whether they are universal or cultural, involve moral emotions and are collectivized. We will discuss behaviours in chimpanzees that represent potential evolutionary precursors of human universal social norms, with special focus on social interactions involving infants. We argue that chimpanzee infants occupy a special status within their communities and propose that tolerance towards them might represent a proto social norm. Finally, we discuss possible ways to test this theoretical framework.

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Notes

  1. However, there might be conventions for which conformity is not only requested but rather compulsive due to possible severe consequences upon their violation (e.g. which side of the road to drive on).

  2. To eliminate the possibility that the animals’ longer looking durations for videos including severe aggression against infants do not merely express surprise, the animals under investigation should be familiar with such incidents. Furthermore, the content of the different videos is to be chosen such that surprise can be excluded as an alternative explanation for the animals’ looking behaviour.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted at the Anthropological Institute & Museum of the University of Zurich and funded by the University Priority Research Program in Ethics of the University of Zurich. We thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and Johannes Fischer for his help on an earlier draft of this paper.

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Rudolf von Rohr, C., Burkart, J.M. & van Schaik, C.P. Evolutionary precursors of social norms in chimpanzees: a new approach. Biol Philos 26, 1–30 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-010-9240-4

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