Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism
is an ancient idea and concept that still exists in society today.
Anthropomorphism, according to many scholars and the dictionary can be defined
as the “ascribing of human characteristics to nonhuman things” (Hamilton 166). The concept of Anthropomorphism is something
that humans still actually practice on a daily basis, probably without even
knowing they are doing it. According to Jay S. Blanchard the concept of
anthropomorphism can be seen in day to day living if/when someone “sees human
faces in the moon, give human attributes to our automobiles, get mad at
furniture when we bump into it, and use metaphoric language (Blanchard
586). It can also be said that human
beings practice this concept when we give full human personalities to our pets
(Hilbert 123).
The term “anthropomorphism” received its name
from a Greek philosopher Xenophanes when he was describing the relationship
that the people of Greece and other areas of the world maintained with their
Gods, such as a Greek God being depicted as blonde haired and blue eyed,
whereas an African would be depicted as Dark skin and brown eyes (psychnet.com).
The word itself comes from the Greek words “anthropos” meaning man and “morphe”
meaning form. The Greeks were also accredited with being the first to have a
full academic discussion about the topic (Blanchard 586). However, the idea had
been in practice years before the Ancient Greek society. Anthropomorphism is
often being accredited with being a literary device, and often shows up in
children’s literature (Blanchard). However, anthropomorphism also rears its
head in one of the most popular literary works of all time, the bible.
Anthropomorphism
makes an appearance in the bible in quite a few areas. One of the main areas of
the bible that this concept appears is in the figure of God. Some scholars
consider the God in the bible to be one representation of anthropomorphism
because the Hebrew God portrays some distinct human qualities (Cherbonnier
188). God himself even says that he is not human saying “For I am God and not
man” (Hosea 11:9). He not only talks, but also walks and breaths just like an
ordinary human would. This allows scholars to draw a distinct connection
between the Greek and Roman Gods and the Hebrew God Yaweh. They find this
connection strong because all sets of Gods in these cultures are in fact not
human, however share and practice very human like characteristics (Cherbonnier
188).
Anthropomorphism
is a very common idea that most people actually follow, whether they know they
are or not. Anthropomorphism has spread to the minds of all ages from toddler
to those late in their lives. Some scholars believe that we attempt to make
connections to these non-human items because of the exponential time that we
spend with them every day (Stebbins 113). However, this concept has yet to be
universally accepted. The literary world and even Walt Disney have given
children the push in the anthropomorphic direction. However, adults can express
anthropomorphic qualities as well, remember Wilson the volleyball in
“Castaway”?
(One of the most
popular forms of modern day anthropomorphism can be seen in Walt Disney’s
classic characters. You’ll never be able to think about Mickey the same will
you?)
Anthropomorphism is an idea that has been around for
centuries, and will be for years to come. The concept itself is still hard for
scholars and psychologists alike to understand. It is truly daunting why we
find it necessary to give the objects and forms around us human like
characteristics. However, this behavior has been around for centuries and will
most likely continue to torture scholars everywhere as the human population
becomes more and more anthropomorphic.
Hamilton, Cliff. “Anthropomorphism: You Should Know What it
is” Rangelands, Vol. 5 No. 4 ( Aug.
1983) pp. 166 Web. 4 April 2014
Cherbonnier Lab E. “The Logic of Biblical
Athromorphism” The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Jul., 1962), pp. 187-206 Web. 4 April 2014
Hilbert
David. “Anthropomorphism” Philosophical
Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition,
Vol. 69, No. 2/3, Papers Presented at the American Philosophical Association
Pacific Division Meeting 1992 (Mar., 1993), pp. 123-127 Web. 4 April 2014
Blanchard,
Jay S. “Anthropomorphism in Beginning Readers” The Reading Teacher, Vol. 35,
No. 5 (Feb., 1982), pp. 586-591 Web. 4 April 2014
Sarah Stebbins. “Anthropomorphism” Philosophical
Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition Vol. 69, No. 2/3, Papers Presented at the
American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting 1992 (Mar., 1993) ,
pp. 113-122
Nauert, Rick. “ Why Do We Anthropomorphize” psychnet. n.p. 1 March 2010. 5 April 2014.
Katie, I really liked your blog post. I have never knowingly thought about anthropomorphism before. I have though had several discussions about the subject. One of the major debates that I thought about while reading your post is the classic question—what did Jesus look like? All of the portraits of Him that I have seen throughout my lifetime have been of a Caucasian male with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. Yet, the Bible never once describes Jesus’s physically appearance. So the question is who decided what Jesus looked? No one who has painted a picture of Him was actually alive when He walked the earth. Furthermore, why did they choose to portray Him as white? Much of the archeological information suggests that He would not have been white. Given the region He grew up in, it is more likely that He was olive skinned or even dark skinned. I think the answer lies in people attempting to make God and Jesus more accessible to people. Around the world Jesus is depicted differently. These depictions reflect the race of the people in the area. Rather than Jesus being depicted in exactly the same way all around the world, He is depicted in a way that brings him closer to the people in the area. In dominantly white areas, Jesus is white. This is the same for Hispanic areas, Asian areas, and African areas. This gives people the perception that Jesus is one of them, and makes Him easier to approach.
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