Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human-specific traits, characteristics or behaviors, to animals. When Dr. Jane Goodall first started observing Chimpanzees in Gombe in Africa in the 1960s, she received a rather negative reaction from her peers in science who argues that her subjects should be numbered and not named. To name them was to “humanize” them. Today, we see the world rather differently. Using the NYT article address three positive and three negative aspects to anthropomorphism animals. Can it help us educate and engage the public about the evolution of behavior in humans and animals? Can it be a problem, for example instances in which conservationists are trying to convince government and members of the public that we should save endangered species not because they are human-like but because they are unique in their own right?
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