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?
Weird love's better than no love.
Buffy ,'Dirty Girls'
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.
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!
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.
DavidS - Jan 17, 2007 1:56:35 pm PST #3666 of 10001
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
How do we know animals have feelings, again?
Why would you presume they don't? The certainly express happiness and desondency and boredom and anger and fear.
I'd even go so far as to say that I've seen mammals grieve.