DO YOU think of animals and humans as “them” and “us”? Do you believe humans are unique in the animal kingdom? If so, you are probably in “anthropodenial”, a word I coined to describe blindness to the human-like characteristics of other animals and to our own animal-like characteristics. Or perhaps you attribute emotions to animals they may not have, seeing guilt in dogs and pride in horses. I do not say these emotions are impossible, but such interpretations often rest on anthropomorphism, the projection of human feelings onto animals.
For years, scientists considered anthropomorphism deeply suspect while taking anthropodenial for…
