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: theydefinitely 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.