Year: 1994
Type: article
Abstract: Anthropomorphism is the use of categories appropriate to humans for the study of animals or objects. Behavioral anthropomorphism is a very common feature of our day-to-day speech. Just in the last few days, I have heard a cat described as being "lonely," a computer described as "improvising," a gear box as "protesting," storm winds as being "angry," the stock market as "lacking willpower," and a tomato plant as looking "dejected." Do these anthropomorphic expressions merely entertain, or do they represent a kind of "street truth" about the things they describe that might form the basis for a scientific insight?
Author: Nicholas S. Thompson
Language: English
Subfield: Linguistics and Language
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2337846213