PERCEPTIONS OF CHOICE: FREE WILL, MORAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND MIND-BODY DUALISM IN HUMANS, CHIMPANZEES, AND RATS

The nature of choice, whether it is to some extent ―free‖ or completely determined, has implications for moral responsibility and mind-body dualism; this issue may also affect how we think of ourselves as members of the human species in comparison to other animal species. In the current study, we explored whether the ―common college student‘s‖ perception of free or determined choice, moral responsibility, and mind-body dualism in humans extended to chimpanzees and rats. Humans were perceived as significantly different from chimpanzees and rats on all three of these dimensions. Moreover, chimpanzees were perceived, primarily by women, as significantly different from rats on the dimensions of free (versus determined) choice and moral responsibility. However, on the issue of mind-body dualism, or having a spirit, a significant difference was not found between chimpanzees and rats. Perhaps possessing a spirit separate from the physical body may be considered a uniquely human attribute. As we become more aware of genetic similarities between our own species and other primate species, our attitudes towards choice, moral responsibility, and mind-body dualism may change.