Research into primate cognition reveals sophisticated mental abilities that challenge us to reconsider their moral status and how they are treated.
Primate cognition research has revealed mental sophistication that places great apes and many monkeys in a morally significant category that many argue deserves protection far beyond what they currently receive. Self-awareness, cultural transmission, fairness sensitivity, theory of mind, and sophisticated communication are all documented in various primate species. These same cognitive abilities make the suffering of primates in captivity, research, and entertainment particularly profound. Great apes demonstrate essentially all cognitive criteria we use to argue for human moral status, yet receive a fraction of the protection.