The New Anthropomorphism (Hardcover, New)

A problem every student of animal behaviour has to come to terms with is anthropomorphism, which means assuming that animals think or feel more or less as we do. Because of fierce criticism from behaviourists, explicit anthropomorphism is no longer scientifically respectable. John Kennedy's thesis is that anthropomorphism is not necessarily dead, but is lurking under different disguises. In fact, it still affects research, but is often unintended and therefore it goes unrecognized. He provides ample documentary evidence of the way researchers unconsciously slip into anthropomorphism. The book contains nineteen essays on behavioural concepts that have seldom been identified as anthropomorphic, but in fact bear that connotation and lead to mistakes. Some of these, such as search images in birds and the learning of grammatical language by apes, have been seen as errors after a time. A greater number, such as efference copy, goal-directedness, cognition, and suffering in animals, are still current though not yet regarded as erroneous. We can hardly hope to cure ourselves altogether of thinking anthropomorphically, and it can be very useful as a metaphor.

General

Imprint:	Cambridge UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	July 1992
First published:	1992
Authors:	John S. Kennedy
Dimensions:	216 x 140 x 16mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	208
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-521-41064-9
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Animal behaviour Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Animal ecology
LSN:	0-521-41064-9
Barcode:	9780521410649

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