I have learned that anthropomorphism is a deeply suspect word, used to defend cruelty to creatures unable to speak and defend themselves against human exploitation. -Sir Brian May, founding member of Queen and Save Me Trust
The mental territory we can claim to be 'uniquely human' is shrinking at an alarming rate. Wasps can distinguish faces, dolphins call one another by name, pigs use tools, zebra finches dream, parrots go on Zoom, and sometimes crayfish get anxious. Chimps, meanwhile, exist in complex cultures, rather like ours, with fashion trends. -Martha Gill
Research shows that the careful use of anthropomorphism, the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to nonhuman entities, can help us understand many different aspects of the behavior and cognitive and emotional lives of nonhuman animals when applied critically and biocentrically.
Some critics worry that being 'too emotional' about the lives of other animals can get in the way of making progress in learning about who animals are, and in conservation science, however, this concern is unfounded.
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