Prof. Dr. Hans-Johann Glock 

As Lorraine Daston observes: “Rules order almost every aspect of our lives. They set our work hours, dictate how we drive and set the table, tell us whether to offer an extended hand or cheek in greeting, and organize the rites of life, from birth through death.” Th vital importance of normativity is increasingly recognized across disciplines ranging from neuroscience to cultural studies. Nevertheless, there is no shared understanding of what normativity amounts to even within subjects. In fact, it is widely held that a general explanation of normativity is neither feasible nor necessary. Nonetheless, I propose a definition of normativity in general. My “standard” account is partly inspired by the ordinary understanding of what a norm is, namely a standard against which something can be assessed, as in industrial norms like DIN. This minimal idea of normativity then takes on three forms, depending on the parameters of assessment: as being of a certain kind(classificatory normativity), good or bad (evaluative normativity), prescribed or prohibited (deontic normativity). I go on to apply this account to a central question in anthropology, namely whether we are the only species that has norms (follows rules) or whether some non-human animals do so as well. In this way my project contributes to understanding not just the nature of normativity and its place in the world, but also our relationship to animals.