Anthropomorphism In Animals

Words: 2558
Pages: 11

If you are treating your pet like a human, you should stop before you cause serious harm to your pet. Anthropomorphism is a very serious and important topic that’s in our lives today. Anthropomorphism is to attribute non-human entities of human traits, emotions, and intentions. In this case we are attributing human traits to our pets at home and it’s very unhealthy for the pet. For example if you think you should give your pet potty-training on a toilet, don’t! Anthropomorphism isn’t nothing new, it’s been around for a long time. The word originated in Greece during the 19th century. Part of the reason why it was developed was to show how people are mistreating their pets worldwide. We need to figure out how to tell if we are being Anthropomorphic …show more content…
In Reference to “the spruce” it states, “We can prevent us from being anthropomorphic. ‘Owners may want to think twice before buying that $3,000 four poster canopy doggie bed and catering to their dog's every humanistic desire.’” (2) What they are trying to say is we shouldn’t buy fancy-human like things for our pets just show them that they are part of the family and that’s all you need. It can be dangerous for the animal if you buy them these things because what if they use it the wrong way, it could seriously harm them. People can be anthropomorphic on purpose or accidental. Newsela article “No litter box, no problem as some cat owners take on kitty potty training” it states, “The other is used by their 7-month-old kitten, Kal, who does all his business in there, using the toilet.” (1) In this case they are being anthropomorphic on accident since they are not aware that it can be bad for the animal. Cats are suppose to go to the bathroom in the litter box not a toilet, it could fall in a get sick if it drinks the water. We have tried to fix our problems for being anthropomorphic for a long time but, sometimes it’s hard to notice you are being anthropomorphic. “Animals in Translation” states, "It turned out Jason did what he always did when there was garbage on the floor--he …show more content…
A family problem or personal problem can be some of the reasons why we are Anthropomorphic in our lives but, there are many others. On the website “medium.com” this guy named Carl Safina states, “Do not attribute human thoughts or emotions to other animals. Doing so is called “anthropomorphism.” I appreciate that. We shouldn’t assume that animals (or for that matter lovers, spouses, kids, and parents) “must be” thinking and feeling just as we would if we were them. They’re not us.” (4) What Carl Safina is trying to say is that even though you would want to feel sympathy for them and try to picture what they go through, don’t. Animals and humans are very different from each other so don’t assign human attributes to animals. Other reasons of being Anthropomorphic is on purpose because of experimentation on animals. The website “Thought Co.” has an article on “Anthropomorphism and Animal Rights” states, “The team came upon a dolphin who was keeping vigil with a dead dolphin, presumably a pod-mate. The dolphin was circling the corpse, moving it up and down and from side to side, clearly grieving. Dr. Wursig noted “For a pelagic creature like this is so highly unusual (to be alone with a dead one, and away from its group)…because they are scared to be alone… they are just not lone creatures and the animal was obviously suffering.” (5) In other words the people here are experimenting on