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.