Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
Published on: July 8, 2025
Autonomy in chimpanzees
Tom L Beauchamp1, Victoria Wobber
1Department of Philosophy, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, 425 Healy Bldg, Washington, DC, 20057, USA, beauchat@georgetown.edu.
Abstract:
Literature on the mental capacities and cognitive mechanisms of the great apes has been silent about whether they can act autonomously. This paper provides a philosophical theory of autonomy supported by psychological studies of the cognitive mechanisms that underlie chimpanzee behavior to argue that chimpanzees can act autonomously even though their psychological mechanisms differ from those of humans. Chimpanzees satisfy the two basic conditions of autonomy: (1) liberty (the absence of controlling influences) and (2) agency (self-initiated intentional action), each of which is specified here in terms of conditions of understanding, intention, and self-control. In this account, chimpanzees make knowledge-based choices reflecting a richly information-based and socially sophisticated understanding of the world. Finally, two major theories of autonomy (Kantian theory and two-level theory) are rejected as too narrow to adequately address these issues, necessitating the modifications made in the present approach.
Related Concept Videos
Naturalistic Observations
Nonconscious Mimicry
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Ryan and Deci's Self-Determination Theory
Autonomy is the need to feel in control of one's actions and decisions. For example, a student who chooses their research topic is likely to be more engaged and motivated than one who...

