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.

Info autore

Justin Gregg is science writer and author of the book If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal. Justin regularly lectures on topics related to animal/dolphin cognition and teaches a course on Animal Minds at St. Francis Xavier University. He has written widely about animal behavior and cognition, with articles appearing in Salon, The Wall Street Journal, Aeon Magazine, Scientific American, BBC Focus, Slate, as well as on his blog with Psychology Today, 'Elegant Arguments'.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Justin Gregg, Gregg Justin
• Editore: Oneworld
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Copertina rigida
• Pubblicazione: 01.02.2025
• EAN: 9780861549825
• ISBN: 978-0-86154-982-5
• Pagine: 304
• Categorie: Scienze umane, arte, musica > Psicologia > Tematiche generali, enciclopedie; 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