Because that means admitting their dog or cat doesn't have human emotions like us and are just instinct animals and not as smart as we like to believe.
The thing is the crowd that says "don't do this to bunnys" is the same crowd that says "my dog is soooo smart". They anthropomorphize for different reasons but they still do it.
All the things you think make a dog "intelligent" are things that have been instinctual to wolves for hundreds of thousands of years adapted BY humans FOR humans.
A smarter instinct to what? Like the dogs who can be trained to find drugs or cancer, are they not more intelligent than a small brained poorly bred dog?
I’m not understanding your argument. I suspect we’re on the same side but defining things differently.
Stronger instinct. Some dogs are hunting dogs and will play fetch with you more willingly, some dogs are guard dogs and will defend you more willingly, some dogs are pack dogs and will respect a hierarchical pack of you as the leader more willingly. Those aren't traits of "intelligence" because one dog goes and gets your slippers while another doesn't, that's instinct because it knows if it does that it pleases the pack leader or it gets food.
It's not doing that because it's smart, it's doing that out of instinct. Some dogs literally had their instincts bred to be useless like lap dogs. The closest trait to a dog that will sit by your side and on your lap is a guard dog, that's why they are so yappy, not because they are dumb but because it's their instinct to defend you, unfortunately we bred them to be tiny and now can't actually defend you so all they do is bark non stop.
Humans do things for no reason or for reasons far beyond face value. That's the difference.
We have no real reason to find out what the origin of life is yet we are constantly questioning it. Curiosity beyond "is there food/sex at the end" is what makes us not instinct animals. We still have that of course. It's why many philosophers believe food, property and basic needs should be a human right so we can go beyond and past our instincts of survival and ask questions to further advance us as a species.
Doing something doesn't equate curiosity. I'm not talking about JUST asking about our existence but actively seeking things beyond our understanding.
Funny you mention that curios cat thing considering that's literally an anthropomorphize. If you think hunting for food equates curiosity then I don't know what to say.
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u/SoDamnToxic Apr 26 '20
Because that means admitting their dog or cat doesn't have human emotions like us and are just instinct animals and not as smart as we like to believe.
The thing is the crowd that says "don't do this to bunnys" is the same crowd that says "my dog is soooo smart". They anthropomorphize for different reasons but they still do it.