What is it like to be a chimpanzee?

Chimpanzees and humans are close evolutionary relatives who behave in many of the same ways based on a similar type of agentive organization. To what degree do they experience the world in similar ways as well? Using contemporary research in evolutionarily biology and animal cognition, I explicitly compare the kinds of experience the two species of capable of having. I conclude that chimpanzees' experience of the world, their experiential niche as I call it, is: (i) intentional in basically the same way as humans'; (ii) rational in the sense that it is self-critical and operates with logically structured causal and intentional inferences; but (iii) not normative at all in that it does not operate with objective evaluative standards Scientific data do not answer philosophical questions, but they provide rich raw material for scientists and philosophers alike to reflect on and clarify fundamental psychological concepts.

Automated summary

Chimpanzees and humans, as close relatives, behave similarly and experience the world differently in terms of consciousness, reasoning ability, and evaluative standards. Scientific data serve as material for scientists and philosophers to reflect on psychological concepts.