I think mammals do. Reptiles, OTOH, are a bunch of cold-blooded... reptiles.
I shouldn't be too broad with that, you're right. I have no notion of insectoid emotion. Furry creatures have feelings, though. I think we're wired that way.
Angel: Yeah, I never told anyone about this, but I-I liked your poems. Spike: You like Barry Manilow.
'Hell Bound'
The Crying of Natter 49
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
DavidS - Jan 17, 2007 1:43:57 pm PST #3656 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Polter-Cow - Jan 17, 2007 1:44:46 pm PST #3657 of 10001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
I think animals have feelings. I don't think emotions are an exclusively human trait.
Then why do you refer to ascribing feelings to animals as "anthropomorphizing" them?
Scrappy - Jan 17, 2007 1:48:28 pm PST #3658 of 10001
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
I was kidding, Allyson. Actually, I know my cats and dog have feelings. I don't think they have the kind of feelings animal crazies ascribe to them, though. I don't think there's an animal alive who knows when their birthday is, for example, or who make long-term plans or who have psychic connections with someone miles away, but I have had people tell me they do.
Burrell - Jan 17, 2007 1:48:35 pm PST #3659 of 10001
Why did Darth Vader cross the road? To get to the Dark Side!
Not that I have a problem per se with anthropomorphizing animals, but I would say it's anthropomorphizing to ascribe human, ego-driven motivations to animal behaviors. I agree that animals have emotions. I even think they have self-consciousness, I just suspect that it is structured differently from ours.
eta: Robin makes a good distinction.
erikaj - Jan 17, 2007 1:49:16 pm PST #3660 of 10001
Always Anti-fascist!
My television boyfriend will be so happy about the end of domestic spying! But he is hotter when he is pissed, though. The Shakespeare starts flowing and everything.
Scrappy - Jan 17, 2007 1:50:25 pm PST #3661 of 10001
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Animals have feelings, but they aren't OUR feelings. Anthropomorphizing them means we assign human feelings to them.
ETA: Or what Burrell said way better.
DavidS - Jan 17, 2007 1:51:48 pm PST #3662 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Then why do you refer to ascribing feelings to animals as "anthropomorphizing" them?
I said "ascribe human feelings" to them. As distinct from animal mammalian feelings. Cf., Scrappy's points on this issue.
Allyson - Jan 17, 2007 1:53:00 pm PST #3663 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica
I'm so confused.
How do we know animals have feelings, again?
Scrappy - Jan 17, 2007 1:53:55 pm PST #3664 of 10001
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Scrappy - Jan 17, 2007 1:54:04 pm PST #3665 of 10001
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
You can tell by watching their behavior, for one thing.