Anthropomorphism Revisited: What is it Like to be a Pet?
posted by Frank Pasquale
There’s a great piece by James Vlahos on the growth of psychiatric medicines for pets here. The piece focuses on how pet owners’ empathy leads them to anthropomorphize their dogs and cats. Having worried about undue anthropomorphism earlier, I found the piece’s sensitive analysis of the many possible sources of bad pet behavior very helpful. And these two insights are particularly sobering reminders of humans’ demands on the environment, and vice versa:
Modern owners are increasingly trying to “sterilize” pet ownership, [Dr. Ian Dunbar says], trying to pharmacologically control dogs so that they don’t act like dogs. “What people want is a pet that is on par with a TiVo, that its activity, play and affection are on demand,” he says “Then, when they’re done, they want to turn it off.” . . .
But [Stephen] Dodman . . . [claims] that the causes of mood disorders and obsessions in humans and our pets aren’t so different — faulty genetics, dreary environments. Whether cubicle- or cage-bound, we get too little exercise; we don’t hunt, run or play enough to produce naturally mood-elevating neurochemicals. Strangely enough, I had already heard this theory — from a pharmaceutical company executive who, for obvious business reasons, didn’t want to be named. “All of the behavioral issues that we have created in ourselves, we are now creating in our pets because they live in the same unhealthy environments that we do,” he said. “That’s why there is a market for these drugs.”
As for those who want a TiVo-type pet–maybe they should try a PARO (pictured above)? These robotic baby seals will be here soon.
July 14, 2008 at 12:00 am
Posted in: Culture
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Responses (2)
hmmmm - July 14, 2008 at 10:51 am
I think that this matters more than most people think because the machines of the future will want to know how to treat their human pets, and they may draw lessons from historical data about how humans treated their pets.
Ruchira - July 14, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hi Frank. Thanks for the link although you seem to disagree with me a bit. I must confess that I am given to anthropomorphization of my pets at an emotional level. But I never ever forget that my pets are non-human animals and their needs are indeed distinct from mine. So I am very, very careful about medication, nutrition and their “animal” nature.
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