The New Anthropomorphism

Is anthropomorphism dead? Modern students of animal behaviour mostly think it is and are therefore confident that their own use of anthropomorphic language is purely metaphorical. John Kennedy’s point is that explicit anthropomorphism was indeed well-nigh killed by fierce criticism from the radical Behaviourists, but that we have to recognize that today there is a new anthropomorphism which is much harder to avoid because it is unintended and largely unconscious. It exists because of a fact o…