Combatting Anthropomorphophobia

Anthropomorphopnobia is a mouthful.  How does one pronounce this word, let alone combat it?  Since the word ends in "phobia," it obviously relates to the fear of something called anthropomorphism.  Basically anthropomorphism is the attribution of "human" qualities to other beings or objects.  In many animated cartoons, we see the images of animals talking and otherwise behaving like humans, for example.  We also tend to attribute human traits, intents and attitudes to deities as well as animals and inanimate objects such as computers and cars. 

For the most part, in our culture, this is no big deal.  What is there to be phobic about?  And who cares?  Why should you continue reading this blog article?  Historically and academically, anthropomorphism has been seen by both fundamentalist religions and scientists as a very, very bad thing.  The fact that these groups agree on something may be enough to entice you to read on.

Fundamenatlist religions have held that God is incomprehensible to humans and has no physical form, so how could it have a body or emotions and how could human intelligence possibly penetrate its thinking or intentions?  Scientists, however, have taken a different view.  In the fields of anthropology, psychology and biology, it is highly controversial and damaging to one's reputation to attribute emotions such as empathy , self-recognition or strategic thinking to animals, even when there is evidence of such similarity to humans.

Descartes expounded on the theory that animals were mechanistic objects and didn't even feel pain like humans do.  To attribute pain or "slaughterhouse fear" to animals was seen as anthropomorphism.  For centuries, it was assumed that animals merely looked like they were reacting to situations in the same way people do.  But, in fact, the notion went, they are merely having physiological responses that look like human emotions without truly having emotions and intelligence.  In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the Hebrew Bible clearly acknowledges that animals can feel pain and even institutes ritual slaughtering of animals raised for food - in a "humane" way intending to minimize their fear and suffering. 

Islam has a similar system, in which only certain animals are suitable as food, and they must be slaughtered in a certain way.  However, Christianity seemed to find a deeper separation between humans and other animals.  Unlike Judaism and Islam, Christian thought seems to have given little ethical emphasis to any restrictions on the killing and eating of animals.  Obviously, it would be less conflictual to keep animals under unhealthy conditions and kill them if they didn't feel pain and had no emotions.  Perhaps this is why humans developed a fear of loving animals as sentient beings with emotions and intelligence.  Hence, anthropomorphophobia.  With humans as divine creations and animals as little more than mobile food production and storage systems, everything was simple.

However, I do not intend this perspective as critical of native, first nation, peoples who have a special relationship of survival and respect with their fellow creatures.  Nor do I want to be critical of farmers and others who raise livestock in a responsible manner.  Rural culture in America, for example, prior to the advent of factory farming, embraced distinctly humane values.   I do not here deal with the question of whether it is ethical to continue eating animals in situations where these practices produce tremendous waste, are terribly energy inefficient, have a large carbon footprint, and are actually harmful to human health rather than being necessary for good health

The phobic aspect of human culture pertaining to the intelligence of animals is also seen in the interpretation of research performed on non-human animals, especially apes, porpoises and elephants.  According to the renowned primatologist, Frans de Waal, these creatures all manifest aspects of empathy, once believed to be an exclusively human emotion.  De Waal coined the term, anthropodenial, to address the problem of anthropomorphophobia - the fear that human culture exhibits over recognition that apes, for example, have many of the same qualities of emotion, culture and intelligence as humans.

It is not only vegetarians and vegans who have a natural interest in the issue of anthropodenial or anthropomorphophobia.  We all do.  Apes are teaching us a great deal about ourselves (and deserve protection from maltreatment, poaching and habitat destruction).  De Waal has written some amazing books, such as "Our Inner Ape" and "Chimpanzee Politics."  His research provides a deeper understanding of human nature, including ways we can avoid conflict, than has ever been available to us. 

Yet, this information runs counter to the basic human bias against recognizing similarities between ourselves and other animals.  As such, it remains outside of mainstream awareness, unavailable to us even though we need this information to understand how to lead our society into more sustainable, less destructive ways to interact with each other, with other species, and our global ecosystems.  This is what led me to work on my book, Divine Primates, for which a sample introduction appears elsewhere in this blog.

If you are interested in this topic, please let me know.  Comments and suggestions are welcome, even if you strongly disagree with me!  I'd like to hear from you.  It is a complicated process figuring out how to best present the information I am working with.  Your participation in this project can greatly assist me in this process.

Earon
email:  divineprimates@aol.com   web:  www.divineprimates.com