Western science has tried to be objective and avoid anthropomorphizing animals, but it has been unable to avoid measuring animals with human yardsticks. This is a catch-22 for the animals, who are deemed intelligent only when they remind us of ourselves, and yet, if they do remind us of ourselves, we often dismiss the evidence with accusations of anthropomorphism. When animals finally do pass our tests and quizzes and exhibit traits that we value as intelligent, the traits are then minimized and new goalposts are erected.
