Anthropomorphism

Fathom

Source of error. "Tendency to imbue the real or imagined behavior of nonhuman agents with humanlike characteristics, motivations, intentions, or emotions." Act like pets have reasoning, logic, similar to humans. "My pet thinks..." Xenophanes described gods in uber-human terms. They looked like Greeks. Exhibited human behaviors. They were demanding, angry, wrathful, jealous, deceitful, capricious, amorous, possessive, but with more exuberance. Did Greek gods create humans in their own image? Or did humans create gods in theirs? Metaphors can be anthropomorphic. If treated beyond reason. Mother Nature. Useful metaphor. Until assigned human maternal characteristics. What say you?

Black Swan

Brian R. Duffy (2003), Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Science Direct Volume 42, Issues 3–4, Pages 177–190, suggests that as robots increasingly enter into human social space they may acquire anthropomorphic attributions just like pets.

Fathom

Robotics & AI. MIT research. Creative. Collaborative. Includes anthropomorphic.

Black Swan

Looking at anthropomorphisms from a different aspect, Gareth Morgan in Images of Organisations suggested that metaphors often occurred and were used to encourage discussion. Although a distortion of reality, such devices were said to foster understanding. For example, in Chapter XVIII of The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, the prince was to act both as a fox and a lion. He was to be smart like a fox to avoid traps, and act like a lion to frighten off wolves.

Fathom

Read Gareth Morgan. Metaphors. Intro chapter. Comparing courage: Man & lion.