ANTHROPOMORPHISM & CONSERVATION
ANTHROPOMORPHISM
THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE WHY AND HOWS
THE MEANING OF
Morphe
means “form”
Anthropoid
means “man”
Credits: YagoPartel
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
ANTHROPOMORPHIM
Giving a mind to a non-human entity
Adam Waytz
As said by Adam Waytz, anthropomorphism is akin to giving the concept of a mind to non-human entities. But because this covers such a wide spectrum, we will be focusing instead on the tendencies to anthropomorphise animals.
But Why Animals?
Animals are known to be the most frequent targets of anthropomorphism.
Hypotheses
1.
60 000 years ago, the archaeological evidence marking the transition between the Middle and the Upper Palaeolithic gave rise to a hypothesis that the human brain's structure was reorganised.
This reorganisation resulted in the connection of mental modules that were previously separated and specialised for different functions.
Mental modules are parts of the brain that work together for a particular function.
The Natural History Module
The Social Module
Helps us understand the behaviour of others and the complexity of social interactions
Internalises the behaviours and attributes of
non-humans (e.g. plants, animals, objects)
2.
Emergence
Forms a construct with a unique property possessing a higher level as a result of simpler components joining together
​
Led to hunting success and
animal domestication
Anthropomorphism is the result of a cognitive default state. The cognitive default state was derived from studies where high levels of activity within the brain were shown to be present despite external stimulations being low. This suggests a form of self-generated cognition that occurs independently from stimulation in the environment. It is similar to the hypothesis on the Intentional Stance, which assumes that every behaviour is produced by internal mental states.
According to these hypotheses:
The ability to recognise different species (called "interspecific behaviour recognition") may result in anthropomorphism, particularly in attributing mental states to other animals.
The human brain evolved to efficiently process social information.
Anthropomorphism emerged as an automatic response to human-like behaviour or features that require quick identification or interpretation.
When alternative explanations or terms are used to explain or describe these behaviours, the human-centred Intentional Stance eventually decreases.
BUT
In the 'Cognitive Default', on the other hand, posits that a bunch of mechanisms evolved to enable us to interpret ambiguous stimulus in the environment as human-related.
3.
The behaviour patterns, social, brain and physiological mechanisms humans posses are not unique to us alone. Much of this is shared with other species, but was evolved to allow for understanding between different species.
4.
Credits: Azza1070
Anthropomorphism is thus not a random or arbitrary occurrence, but the result of our mental states and behaviours sharing a common heritage with the animals.
Anthropomorphising occurs due to motivating factors, mainly effectance and sociality.
The need to make sense of the actions of others to reduce uncertainty about their behaviour
Effectance
The need to maintain social connections
Sociality
Anthropomorphism In Reality
THE CASE FOR MAMMALS
THE CASE FOR THE BIG BRAINS
