Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
935065 | Language & Communication | 2008 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
Morality is a concept that is based on value judgments of “right” or “wrong” and “good” and “bad”. Three language-competent apes (two bonobos and a chimpanzee) are shown to use the symbols “good” and “bad” in appropriate contexts and to co-construct these values with the humans in their environment, indicating that the specific expression of value judgments is cultural. Their developmental use of these symbols parallels studies in children which suggest that conceptual simplicity and internal development may affect the development of moral precursors. These findings support recent research that has found moral precursors in several species of nonhuman primates.
Keywords
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Arts and Humanities
Language and Linguistics
Authors
Heidi Lyn, Becca Franks, E. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh,