Social Norms in Bonobo Societies: Applying the Normative Pluralism Framework to Behavioral Evidence
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Abstract
According to the normative pluralistic approach (Westra and Andrews 2022; Westra et al. 2024), social norms are understood as normative regularities defined by two components: patterns of behavioral conformity and forms of social maintenance. I argue that bonobos exhibit social norms in at least three domains: inequity aversion, reactions to interruptions of social activities, and female coalition formation. For each domain, I identify both components of normative regularities. I conclude that current evidence supports the view that bonobos display genuine forms of social normativity that structure and regulate their societies.
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