Humanish
How Anthropomorphism Makes Us Smart, Weird and Delusional
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oneworld Publications
Publishing:25th Sep '25
£18.99
This title is due to be published on 25th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A hilarious zoological tour of the perks and pitfalls of anthropomorphism.
Ever glanced at your cat and wondered if they were plotting something? Or passed a car and thought it seemed ‘friendly’, ‘surprised’ or ‘angry’ depending on the shape of its headlights?
Anthropomorphism – the irresistible desire to apply human characteristics to animals, natural phenomena and even inanimate objects – is as natural as breathing.
And it gets weirder… Million-dollar industries have sprung up to provide ‘cosmetic enhancements’ for dogs who’ve had the snip – their (inevitably male) owners wracked with guilt that their pets might be missing out on… something. Similarly, Justin Gregg, a researcher with the Dolphin Communication Project, regularly receives emails from mothers-to-be convinced that dolphins would make excellent midwives (spoiler alert: they definitely wouldn’t).
Diving into the strange way anthropomorphism shapes our understanding of the world, Gregg offers an eye-opening journey through human perception. From cinema’s obsession with talking animals to the way we interact with our soon-to-be robot overlords, Humanish takes a hilarious journey through the strange world of anthropomorphism and explores what it reveals about this weird and wonderful bias within us all.
'Everyone who is interested in both human and animal behaviour will love this book. Justin Gregg uses interesting stories to explain anthropomorphism.'―Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
'Justin Gregg's Humanish is hilarious, engaging, informative, timely, and astute, and truly addictive to read. I wanted to hug the cover, and tell the pages they were doing a great job... His books live on my shelves, and they are my friends.' —Alie Ward, host of Ologies podcast
'From M3gan to Companion, from spiders to sapient briefcases—to how bonding emotionally with your guitar actually increases your inclusive fitness—Humanish taught me a lot. Thanks to the jokes, I barely even realized I was being educated. Neat trick.' —Peter Watts, Hugo Award-winning author of Blindsight
'Going beyond a delightful explanation of why we dress our dogs in cute costumes, this is an engaging and timely investigation of how we interact with technology, politics and religion through a unique narrativizing lens – demonstrating that what makes us human is what we see as human-ish.'―Adam Aleksic, author of Algospeak
'Humanish is at once a riveting read and a breath of fresh air. Justin Gregg opens our senses and our hearts to nature’s whims and to the other beings with whom we share our one and only planet. Identifying with them is a win-win for all.'―Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals
'Justin Gregg's Humanish looks beyond whether it's right or wrong to anthropomorphize, focusing instead on what prompts us to see human qualities in the non-human world and how it affects our decision-making. Thoughtfully reported and nuanced, Gregg's book will forever change the way you look at your pets, other people, and the last, sad stuffed animal for sale on the shelf.' —Tove Danovich, author of Under the Henfluence
'A comprehensive and enlightening look at a topic that becomes more important as the world around us becomes less human.'—Adam Waytz, author of The Power of Human
'Filled with intriguing stories and astute explanations, this is a superb work of popular science.' Publishers Weekly, starred re
ISBN: 9780861549825
Dimensions: 216mm x 135mm x 27mm
Weight: unknown
304 pages