In this paper I will argue robotic pets will be able to, and should be anthropomorphized like animals and will be able to take the place of pets in the lives of those unable to have pets. Anthropomorphism is the interpretation of something that is not human, as having human characteristics. This can also be called personification. Anthropomorphism was originally used to make the gods of religions more human like, but has since spread to anything non-human, such as animals, weather, or landforms. David Hume had a theory that humans anthropomorphize things to make sense of the world; Sigmund Freud suggested that humans anthropomorphize to make non-human things more familiar (“anthropomorphism”). For the intents and purposes of this paper, Sigmund Freud’s theory will be the one that is believed as humans now have the capability to understand more about animals and robots, and therefore are not mysterious or need explaining.
One of the arguments that I have found to be unsound is by Horowitz and Beckoff, they argue that anthropomorphism is dangerous and should be avoided in animals. They state that the activity of play of humans with their dogs has a lot of anthropomorphism in it. The way a human expects the dog to go and retrieve the ball, and bring it back, like one expects a child to do with a ball is anthropomorphism. They say it is dangerous to anthropomorphize animals because it can lead to too much trust or too high of expectations. An animal is an animal, no matter how well trained, and could attack a person at any second. Because the anthropomorphism put onto animal’s creates the danger, it is not worth doing according to Horowitz and Beckoff. Also, because it is not worth doing, it should be avoided (Horowitz and Beckoff)...
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Sprio, Trevor. "AIBO robot playing with a cat!." Online video clip.
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Thousands of animals are put to sleep each year due to not having any available homes for them to be adopted. According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “The average female cat can produce two litters of six kittens per year, a female dog can produce one litter of six or more puppies per year, making pet overpopulation a significant problem.” Animal overpopulation is costing money and you can help the pets with spay and neutering programs. A new solution is mandatory contracts for breeders and spay and neuter programs. This paper will talk about spay and neuter programs, contracts for breeders, and why some people don’t think animal overpopulation is a problem.
"Animal Cruelty and Human Violence : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. N.p.,
When you look at someone’s pet you may not think it can teach you anything or do anything for you besides being there for you. However, a study in Austria, conducted by Pauleen Bennett and Jordan Schaan, discovered that pets became “instructors” for their owners in living a better life. “People felt they could derive unconditional love and forgiveness from their dogs, whereas human beings seemed more likely to disappoint one another” (Yuhas, 1). This statement reveals how negatively humans view each other. If a person rather be with an
Fields, L. (2013, October 24). 6 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/5-ways-pets-improve-your-health
Ideally, pet supply would be equal to the demand for wanted pets. There may never be enough caring homes for all the pets as is evident by the fact that only about 25 percent of the pets in shelters are ever adopted. F...
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.” (Gandhi). Sadly it seems that there is much to be desired from America. Over the past few years there has been an increase in animal abuse, sadly numerous cases go unreported and unrecognized. It is estimated by the HSUS that every year nearly one million animals are abused or killed with connections of domestic violence. From this growing issue, it is seen that humans have power over animals.
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Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be euthanized; that equals to one animal being put down every 8 seconds. Animals that are not adopted are kept in shelters until they find a home. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Twenty-six percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20 to 30 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops. In addition, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. The 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78 percent of dogs and 88 percent of cats are not spayed or neutered, in 2009 Statistics from animal shelters in 55 counties in WV (West Virginia) shows that nearly 54% of all animals entering shelters are euthanized, The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highe...
Should animals have to go through pain and suffering? Should they have to go without food and/or water? The answer is no. Animal abuse happens everyday and it happens because people are barbarous or because they don’t know how to take the best care of an animal that they have. Whatever the reason it’s still not right and will never be okay. This paper will cover a brief history of animal abuse, the statistics, the signs of animal abuse, and what can be done to stop animal abuse. Animal abuse needs to end for the animals that can’t speak for themselves.
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...ered to our mobile devices, pushing ourselves into being alone. Turkle says, “…the network prepares us for the ‘relationships with less’ that robots provide.” (p154). We are no longer connected based on how close we are to each other, but how available our mobile devices are to us at the moment. We always have our mobile devices on us, therefore making us think we are always connected. She states that the device serves as a portal to being tethered to the people and places. She goes further to describe how these mobile devices can symbolize themselves marking themselves as alone. I definitely agree with this point. When I am placed in an uncomfortable position in a crowded place, I immediately take out my phone and fiddle around hoping nobody will bother me. It symbolizes my departure in the situation from the physical realm into the mobile and technological realm.
Kehily, M. J. 2014. Understanding childhood: an introduction to some key themes and issues. [e-book] Available through: online https://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/openup/chapters/0335212689.pdf [Accessed: 20 Mar 2014].
"Pet Overpopulation : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. The Humane Society of