GeraniumCat

“The key point is that anthropomorphism is not always as problematic as people think. To rail against it for the sake of scientific objectivity often hides a pre-Darwinian mindset, one uncomfortable with the notion of humans as animals. When we are considering species like the apes, which are aptly known as “anthropoids” (humanlike), however, anthropomorphism is in fact a logical choice. Dubbing an ape’s kiss “mouth-to-mouth contact” so as to avoid anthropomorphism deliberately obfuscates the meaning of the behavior. It would be like assigning Earth’s gravity a different name than the moon’s, just because we think Earth is special.”
― Frans de Waal, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

“Odd that a festival to celebrate the most austere of births should end up being all about conspicuous consumption.”
― Jeanette Winterson, Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days

“Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.”
― Frans de Waal, The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates

“I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane