The Evolution of Social Communication in Primates by Marco Pina & Nathalie Gontier

Author:Marco Pina & Nathalie Gontier
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Cham

3Much attention has been devoted to mind reading in philosophy of mind as well as in other areas such as psychology and primatology. Empirical studies show that non-human primates can also read others’ minds in some degree. For example, apes like chimpanzees and gorillas “understand others as intentional” (Tomasello 2008: 49). However, communication of non-human primates differs from that of humans in a fundamental way. Only humans can participate in joint attentional interactions. Non-human primates can recognize intentionality in other individuals, but they—even great apes—cannot “participate in shared intentionality” (ibid. 331). While humans can detect others’ intentions just from the moves or direction of their eyes, non-human primates do it from the direction of their bodies and heads (Emery 2000: 592). Furthermore, compared to non-human primates, humans have, in addition to the flexibility of the body, an elaborate system of facial musculature which realizes a high expressiveness. These physiological conditions also greatly contribute to an effective detection of others’ intentions and to our participating in shared intentionality. Put another way, we have skills to understand the meaning of others’ facial expressions and a variety of bodily behavior. It is these skills that provide a basis for social communication.

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