[MUSIC] We humans think with animals in many ways, and we've done it for a long time. We use animal symbolically, metaphorically, and dramatically to convey information, evoke moods, and express emotions. One of the earliest examples comes from the cave paintings found in the region that today encompasses France and Spain. Some of these dates from over 40,000 years ago. We still do not definitively know what these were. Were they decorative? Should we think of them as art? Did they have some sort of religious or ceremonial purpose? Did they chronicle the presence of animals in the area and document successful hunting? We just don't know. But on the walls and ceilings of hundreds of caves in France and Spain, there are images of horses, of early cattle, of wild cats, and other species. Animals also play leading roles in the creation myths, legends and fables of many societies. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the stories of the fall of Adam and Eve and the great flood revolve around animal characters. Animals clearly had meaning for our ancestors, but we use them all the time too. The New Yorker magazine frequently has animal caricatures on the cover. And the magazine is famous for its animal cartoons in which dogs or cats say what's on their minds. The internet has become a popular medium for animal messages. You can easily find lol cat memes or funny pictures of cats with witty, often sarcastic sayings. There are dog memes too, of course, but cat videos have taken over the internet. Animals are also used symbolically in consumer culture. Consider how many products have animal names and logos. Depending on the animal, they're used to convey gentleness, agility, or a number of other characteristics. Think about Dove soap, Jaguar cars, and the little bird in the Twitter logo. And sports teams are often named after animals to symbolize ferocity, speed and strength. There are lots of other examples. For instance, consider the image of the flamingo. On a flamboyant shirt, on wallpaper, or in home decor, it conveys a tropical ambiance. The plastic pink flamingo on the front lawn can have a range of meanings. You might think it's a truly tasteful decoration or you might display it ironically to communicate that you know it's not considered truly tasteful decoration. Animals also populate the non-material aspects of society. Since our Paleolithic ancestors embellished cave walls with images of bison and horses, animals have appeared in art. We've used animal figures to carry meaning and myth, legends and fable,s and to carry our sins in religion. Scapegoats were once actual animals symbolically blamed and cast out to suffer and die in the desert. Our language contains numerous animal references. People can be pig-headed, gentle as a lamb, stubborn as a mule or strong as an ox. They can wear ponytails or pigtails and can have buck teeth, pigeon toes or duck feet. Foxy has gone out of vogue as a term for sexual desirability, but women who would once have been so described still remain the targets of wolf whistles and cat calls. We might back up the wrong tree, be busy as a beaver, quiet as a mouse, or act as a lame duck. Many animal idioms contain references to cruelty. Although as the language becomes normalized, we become distanced from its original meaning. Thus, people seldom recognize the violence embedded in being a guinea pig, killing two birds with one stone, or beating a dead horse, unless someone brings it to our attention. Finally, there's no greater insult than to behave or be treated like an animal, and no one wants to be anyone's bitch. Thinking with animals often involves anthropomorphizing them. In the most basic sense, anthropomorphism means giving animals, or other non-human entities, human qualities. In a sense, any representation of an animal involves anthropomorphism in that representation requires interpreting the animal's appearance or a behavior from a human perspective. Although accusations of anthropomorphism are usually intended to discredit someone's claims about animals as sentimental and inaccurate projections, the reality is that we can't escape the human perspective. All understanding is, therefore, anthropomorphic. Anthropomorphizing allows images of animals in comics and memes to depict human follies and foibles. It allows stories told through caricatures of the cunning fox or the faithful dog to teach children moral lessons that would be far less effective if they featured human characters. What makes a species good for thinking with? There are three characteristics that help, one is phylogeny. This refers to where the animal is on the evolutionary tree, especially in relationship to us. Species that are closer to us, such as apes and mammals, are easier to think with than amphibians are. We can see at least some similarities, and that helps them stand in for humans or participate to some degree in a shared experience. Another characteristic is neoteny, this refers to the retention of juvenile characteristics even into adulthood. You can think of this as the cuteness factor. Neoteny is what makes us go aww when we see a puppy, a kitten, or a bear cub. The juvenile features such as the large eyes and the round face elicit a positive response from us. This explains why it makes sense for conservation organizations to use images such as the panda rather than less appealing species, even though they might be at greater risk for extinction. The third characteristic that makes a species especially good for thinking with is domestication. Domestication refers to the process whereby the care and reproduction of a species is fully managed by humans. Domestic animals don't exist in the wild. You can tame a wild animal, but domesticating an entire species is different. Examples include dogs, cattle, sheep, horses, and other species. The question of whether cats are fully domesticated is still debated. But the point is that their familiarity to us makes them especially effective for communicating meaning. We understand a dog, or at least we think we do, better than we understand a wolf. A species doesn't need to have all three of these characteristics to be used to think with, and there are certainly exceptions. To sum up, we think with animals by using them symbolically, dramatically, metaphorically, and otherwise. Thinking with animals allows members of a society to understand and share an understanding of significant ideas and experiences. You might say that thinking with animals helps us define what it means to be human.
