--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In sum, the great apes arguably man1…" description: "\"“In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some aspects of teleomechanical agency and mentalistic agency (Suddendorf and Whiten 2001); howeve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/scott-atran-26630_animal_in-sum-the-great-apes-arguably-man1-ifes_2320455.jpg" --- # In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some… ![“In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some aspects of teleomechanical agency and mentalistic agency (Suddendorf and Whiten 2001); however, there is no convincing evidence that any animals other than humans possess metarepresentational agency (Heyes 1998; C. Wynne 2001).” quote by Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/scott-atran-26630_animal_in-sum-the-great-apes-arguably-man1-ifes_2320455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/scott-atran-26630_animal_in-sum-the-great-apes-arguably-man1-ifes_2320455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/scott-atran-26630_animal_in-sum-the-great-apes-arguably-man1-ifes_2320455.jpg) > ““In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some aspects of teleomechanical agency and mentalistic agency (Suddendorf and Whiten 2001); however, there is no convincing evidence that any animals other than humans possess metarepresentational agency (Heyes 1998; C. Wynne 2001).”” [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Research suggests only humans show advanced mental agency, while other animals lack evidence of metarepresentational abilities. **In simple terms:** Only humans show complex mental agency; other animals don’t. Key Takeaway Recognize unique human cognitive capacities. Themes cognitive science animal cognition metacognition Mood analytical thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - education - science communication - ethical debates - animal welfare Key Concepts human uniqueness evolutionary psychology Questions to Reflect On - What implications does this have for animal rights? - How might future research change this view? A Different Perspective Animal cognition may be under‑studied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Apes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apes/) ## Related quotes > [“Around the start of the fourth year, the child begins to elaborate an understanding of metarepresentational agency: the child attributes intentional attitudes, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/around-the-start-of-the-fourth-year-the-child-begins-to-elaborate-an/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“During the first year of life, a child acquires the concept of teleomechanical agency: the child is able to perceive an object’s physical movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/during-the-first-year-of-life-a-child-acquires-the-concept-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [It was their individuality combined with the shyness of their behavior that remained the most captivating impression of this first encounter with the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dian-fossey/it-was-their-individuality-combined-with-the-shyness-of-their/) [Dian Fossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dian-fossey/) > [“Treat each other like human beings? But the other great apes have no class hierarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bauvard/treat-each-other-like-human-beings-but-the-other-great-apes-have-no/) [Bauvard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bauvard/) > [“What appears to be lacking, even in great apes, is a motivation to find means to exchange what is on each other’s minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-suddendorf/what-appears-to-be-lacking-even-in-great-apes-is-a-motivation-to-find/) [Thomas Suddendorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-suddendorf/) > [Although elephants are far more distantly related to us than the great apes, they seem to have evolved similar social and cognitive capacities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/although-elephants-are-far-more-distantly-related-to-us-than-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Gorillas are the largest of the great apes. A mature male may be six feet tall and weigh 400 pounds or more; his enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dian-fossey/gorillas-are-the-largest-of-the-great-apes-a-mature-male-may-be-six/) [Dian Fossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dian-fossey/) > [“Apart from the soul, the brewing of tea is the only thing that sets us apart from the great apes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/apart-from-the-soul-the-brewing-of-tea-is-the-only-thing-that-sets-us/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [There are five kinds of great apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and the one which people always think of last: Humans!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/there-are-five-kinds-of-great-apes-bonobos-chimpanzees-orangutans/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [None of the three great apes is considered ancestral to modern man, Homo sapiens, but they remain the only other type of extant primate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dian-fossey/none-of-the-three-great-apes-is-considered-ancestral-to-modern-man/) [Dian Fossey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dian-fossey/) > [“Cast in the mold of humanity, they were distinctly not men. 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Surely we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/in-what-terms-should-we-think-of-these-beings-nonhuman-yet-possessing/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [These magnificent species of Africa - elephants, rhino, lions, leopards, cheetah, the great apes (Africa has four of the world's five great apes) -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/these-magnificent-species-of-africa-elephants-rhino-lions-leopards/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [Bonobos are unique among great apes because they are not dominated by males.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudine-andre/bonobos-are-unique-among-great-apes-because-they-are-not-dominated-by/) Claudine Andre > [“Meet the bonobos, the rare and marvelous “make love not war” great apes who swing through the trees as well as with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/meet-the-bonobos-the-rare-and-marvelous-make-love-not-war-great-apes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Scott Atran > [“All religions have core beliefs that confound these innate expectations about the world, such as faith in physically powerful but essentially bodiless deities. 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some aspects of teleomechanical agency and mentalistic agency (Suddendorf and Whiten 2001); however, there is no convincing evidence that any animals other than humans possess metarepresentational agency (Heyes 1998; C. 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