(n.) The attribution of human characteristics to animals or other non-human objects/inanimate objects (eg, trees,
birds, buildings, etc.). (Syn.: anthropomorphism; anthropomorphization)
Examples of anthropomorphosis are commonly found in fictional literature, predominantly within metaphors and similes. Descriptive writing also utilizes it.
For example, "the angry waves of the North Sea" is a mild anthropomorphization, since it declares waves of water to have emotional capabilities.
Another example would be: "the tall and menacing trees stared at me from their heavenly heights and tried to grab at me with their gargantuan wooden claws." This is anthropomorphic because:
1) Trees are not menacing.
2) Trees
don't have "claws."
3) Trees cannot grab, nor can they "try" to.
Most commonly, however, anthropomorphic qualities are found within eco-friendly humans who sympathize with certain environmental and moral issues. For example, there are many people who oppose the concept of zoos. An anthropomorphic statement could be: "Look at that
poor lion. He's just sitting in there. He LOOKS sad. He wants to be
free! He wants to roam along the fields! He wants to raise a
family! Poor thing!" This statement, albeit heftily used by some of the public, has many fallacies within it, such as:
1) Lions are not
poor. They have no
money, nor
can they benefit from any hypocritical and
fervent pity thrown towards them by
spectators.
2) Lions may exhibit behavior SIMILAR to humans,
but quintessentially attributing them to
actually BE
like humans is another argument,
altogether. The lion MAY look "sad," but it
most likely isn't. If it is, its behavior would
shift and zookeepers would scramble to its aid.
3) How can someone know exactly what a lion wants?
Animal psychics can refute this claim, but
their claims are equally refutable from a
logical standpoint.
4) Lions
don't "families." Lion have a matriarch
society (ie, a
society run by females). The
mothers, grandmothers, and aunts do the
"raising," while the males only serve two
purposes: reproduction and protection.
---
LOGICAL
OPINION: People who are so concerned about the lion forget how happy it must be. It either sits around all day, eats to his content, defecates to his content, or fornicates to his content. People forget that the lion no longer has to expend valuable energy having to hunt down a meal. It's being
FED to him! I'd be happy... Besides, what what a political anthropomorph do if they saw a lion gobbling up a Thomson Gazelle? Instead of striking against the zoos, would they strike against Mother Nature?
Go to an anthropomorph's house, round up everyone in his/her
family, throw them out, and
break the doors and
windows, while shouting, "You'
re free! You're free!!"
...Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
---
Anthropomorphosis is evidence of humanity, since it consists entirely of bogus and biased claims of emotional attachment and attribution.
Political anthropomorphosis is dangerous and stupid because it is not accepted by both extremes of the anthropomorphic spectrum: literature and science. A political anthropomorph rarely posesses any
respect from both communities because he/she doesn't tread lightly on the subject, doesn't describe anything with it, and ignores all firm, natural, and empirical logic that is equally readily-accessible to the individual.
