anthropomorphism
Giving animals feelings
Anthropomorphism is attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things—animals, objects, or abstract forces.
Children's books anthropomorphize animals that talk and wear clothes.
We anthropomorphize when we say a dog looks guilty or the weather is angry.
The tendency runs deep: humans see faces in clouds and intentions in random events.
The film's anthropomorphism gives the toys rich emotional lives.
Moral tale with animals
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
- protagonistStory's central figure
narrative · metaphor · symbolism · fairy-tale · folklore · parable · trickster · moral
Worshipped supernatural beings
- godsSupernatural beings worshipped
- goddessesDivine feminine beings
- pantheonAll gods of a religion
- tricksterCunning deceiver in myth
coyote · raven · kitsune · totemism · shapeshifter · folklore · animism
Spirits inhabit all things
- sentienceCapacity for subjective experience
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- personhoodStatus as a person
- subjectivityPersonal viewpoint coloring perception
intentionality · phenomenology · anthropocentrism · biocentrism · singer
Something that extends outward
- attributionAssigning origin or cause
- empathySharing another's emotions
- relatabilityQuality inviting connection
- attachmentConnection or fondness
bonding · perception · cognition · pareidolia · intentionality · mind-reading · companionship
Incorrect understanding of meaning
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- anthropocentricRegarding humanity as paramount
- misreadingIncorrect interpretation of text
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
Animated or humorous illustration
- expressiveShowing feelings outwardly
- claymationSculpted-figure animation technique
- stop-motionAnimation using posed objects
Domesticated household companion
- dogDomesticated barking mammal
- catSmall furry housepet
- primateHigher mammal order member
- mammalWarm-blooded, milk-producing animal
expressive · body-language · gesture · vocalization · emotion · behavior · intelligence · domesticated
fable
Moral tale with animals
- allegorySymbolic tale with deeper meaning
- personificationAttributing humanity to non-humans
- characterizationDescribing distinctive qualities
protagonist · narrative · metaphor · symbolism · fairy-tale · folklore · parable · trickster · moral
deities
Worshipped supernatural beings
trickster · coyote · raven · kitsune · totemism · shapeshifter · folklore · animism
animism
Spirits inhabit all things
- sentienceCapacity for subjective experience
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- personhoodStatus as a person
subjectivity · intentionality · phenomenology · anthropocentrism · biocentrism · singer
projection
Something that extends outward
- attributionAssigning origin or cause
- empathySharing another's emotions
- relatabilityQuality inviting connection
attachment · bonding · perception · cognition · pareidolia · intentionality · mind-reading · companionship
misinterpretation
Incorrect understanding of meaning
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- anthropocentricRegarding humanity as paramount
- misreadingIncorrect interpretation of text
cartoon
Animated or humorous illustration
- expressiveShowing feelings outwardly
- claymationSculpted-figure animation technique
- stop-motionAnimation using posed objects
pet
Domesticated household companion
mammal · expressive · body-language · gesture · vocalization · emotion · behavior · intelligence · domesticated · trained
robot
Programmable automated machine
- long wordssupercalifragilisticexpialidocious, antidisestablishmentarianism, incomprehensibilities, counterrevolutionary, electroencephalograph
- animal fictiontalking animals, animal characters, animal tales, beast fables, funny animals
- literary animalsAnimal Farm, white whale, Charlotte's Web, Moby Dick, Watership Down
- personificationpersonification, talking animals, talking trees, talking toys, animal characters
- character artcharacter design, character sheet, concept art, reference sheet, turnaround
- figurative languagemetaphor, simile, figure of speech, analogy, personification
anthropomorphismdehumanization
Denying personhood to others
objectification · animalization · depersonalization · reification · mechanization
anthropomorphismscientific objectivity
Impartial pursuit of truth
literalism · reductionism · behaviorism · physicalism · materialism
anthropomorphic, anthropomorphize, anthropomorphized, anthropomorphizes, anthropomorphizing, anthropomorphisms