Humanish - How Anthropomorphism Makes Us Smart, Weird and Delusional

Ever glanced at your cat and wondered if they were plotting something? Or passed a car and thought it seemed 'friendly', 'surprised' or 'angry' depending on the shape of its headlights?Anthropomorphism - the irresistible desire to apply human characteristics to animals, natural phenomena and even inanimate objects - is as natural as breathing.And it gets weirder... Million-dollar industries have sprung up to provide 'cosmetic enhancements' for dogs who've had the snip - their (inevitably male) owners wracked with guilt that their pets might be missing out on... something. Similarly, Justin Gregg, a researcher with the Dolphin Communication Project, regularly receives emails from mothers-to-be convinced that dolphins would make excellent midwives (spoiler alert: they definitely wouldn't).Diving into the strange way anthropomorphism shapes our understanding of the world, Gregg offers an eye-opening, humorous journey through human perception. From cinema's obsession with talking animals to the way we interact with our soon-to-be robot overlords, Humanish takes an eye-opening journey through the strange world of anthropomorphism and explores what it reveals about this weird and wonderful bias within us all.

Product details

• Authors: Justin Gregg, Gregg Justin
• Publisher: Oneworld
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 01.02.2025, delayed
• EAN: 9780861549825
• ISBN: 978-0-86154-982-5
• Subjects: SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / General, NATURE / Animal Rights, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Neuroscience, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Physical, NATURE / Animals / Mammals, SCIENCE / Cognitive Science, Zoology & animal sciences, Animals & society, Animal behaviour, Neurosciences, Early Man, Wildlife: mammals, Cognitive and behavioural neuroscience, Animals and society, Ethology and animal behaviour, Wildlife: mammals: general interest, Zoology and animal sciences, Cognitive Science, Evolutionary anthropology / Human evolution