Great Ape Project

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International organization advocating for the rights of great apes

Great Ape Project
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Formation	1993
Type	Non-governmental organization
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The Great Ape Project (GAP) is an international organization founded in 1993 by philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri. The project advocates for the extension of certain moral and legal rights to the non-human great apes: chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. The primary goal of the Great Ape Project is to include these species within a community of equals, granting them the right to life, the protection of individual liberty, and the prohibition of torture.

Objectives

The Great Ape Project seeks to achieve several key objectives:

• Recognition of the basic rights of great apes.
• Legal protection against torture, experimentation, and captivity.
• Promotion of the moral and cognitive similarities between humans and great apes.
• Advocacy for the conservation of great ape habitats.

Founding and Philosophy

The Great Ape Project was founded by Peter Singer, a prominent ethicist known for his work in animal rights, and Paola Cavalieri, an Italian philosopher. Their work is grounded in the belief that the cognitive and emotional capacities of great apes warrant similar moral considerations to those given to humans. The project draws on the principles of utilitarianism and the animal liberation movement.

Activities

The Great Ape Project engages in various activities to promote its objectives:

• Public awareness campaigns to educate people about the cognitive and emotional lives of great apes.
• Lobbying for legislative changes to grant legal rights to great apes.
• Collaborating with other animal rights organizations to protect great apes from exploitation and harm.
• Supporting sanctuaries and conservation efforts to ensure the well-being of great apes in the wild and in captivity.

Legal and Ethical Implications

The Great Ape Project raises significant legal and ethical questions about the status of non-human animals. By advocating for the rights of great apes, the project challenges traditional views on the moral and legal boundaries between humans and other animals. This has implications for animal law, bioethics, and environmental ethics.

Criticism and Controversy

The Great Ape Project has faced criticism from various quarters. Some argue that granting rights to great apes could undermine human exceptionalism and lead to broader demands for animal rights. Others question the feasibility of implementing legal protections for great apes in different cultural and legal contexts.

Related Pages

• Animal rights
• Peter Singer
• Paola Cavalieri
• Chimpanzee
• Bonobo
• Gorilla
• Orangutan
• Utilitarianism
• Animal liberation movement
• Animal law
• Bioethics
• Environmental ethics

See Also

• Personhood
• Sentience
• Speciesism
• Conservation biology
• Ethology