# What is the name of this logical fallacy (attributing human characteristics)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047 "2009-02-01T23:24:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/1 "2009-02-01T23:24:47Z")
What is the name of the logical fallacy where someone attributes human characteristics to non-human subjects? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/2 "2009-02-01T23:26:24Z")
The [pathetic fallacy.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathetic_fallacy) ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/3 "2009-02-01T23:26:58Z")
Anthropomorphization. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/4 "2009-02-01T23:27:10Z")
[Anthropomorphism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphic)? ---
**Author:** ![Rapier42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rapier42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rapier42)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/5 "2009-02-02T00:32:46Z")
Is anthopomorphism a logical fallacy, tho? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/6 "2009-02-02T00:34:17Z")
> [@Rapier42](#): > > Is anthopomorphism a logical fallacy, tho? I would argue that assigning human attributes to nonhuman objects and animals is fundamentally fallacious. Although, perhaps not a logical fallacy in the strictest sense of the term. ---
**Author:** ![Animastryfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Animastryfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Animastryfe)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/7 "2009-02-02T00:41:25Z")
Thank you everyone. I knew it had to do with anthropomorphism, but didn’t know that that was the name of the fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/8 "2009-02-02T04:56:38Z")
In the comic book series _Jack of Fables_, the Pathetic Fallacy is a character. Which means the writer, Bill Willingham, has attributed human characteristics to a non-human object - namely, the concept of attributing human characteristics to non-human objects. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/9 "2009-02-02T10:31:35Z")
> [@Rapier42](#): > > Is anthopomorphism a logical fallacy, tho? Assigning human characteristics to non-human, especially non-animate things, isn’t exactly logical, is it? And if it has no relevance to truth, you could say it was a fallacy, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/10 "2009-02-02T11:12:09Z")
It’s important to distinguish between the pathetic fallacy and a useful metaphor or visualization: Saying a program is confused by this input or can’t get along with this other program doesn’t imply the programmer is confused, but that he’s thinking in terms of the big-picture results of what are likely a large number of details he’ll get into later. Attributing intentions and emotions is a way to give a convenient high-level summary. Secondly, well, do dogs have human traits? Do lizards? Do bacteria? There is a level of complexity below which there is no real intention but defining where that line lies has consumed countless hours of intense argumentation. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/11 "2009-02-02T15:15:48Z")
> [@Animastryfe](#): > > What is the name of the logical fallacy where someone attributes human characteristics to non-human subjects? Could you give an example of what you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Rapier42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rapier42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rapier42)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-of-this-logical-fallacy-attributing-human-characteristics/484047/12 "2009-02-02T22:36:41Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > I would argue that assigning human attributes to nonhuman objects and animals is fundamentally fallacious. Although, perhaps not a logical fallacy in the strictest sense of the term. > [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > Assigning human characteristics to non-human, especially non-animate things, isn’t exactly logical, is it? And if it has no relevance to truth, you could say it was a fallacy, yes? I would tend to think that classical anthropomorphism isn’t a logical argument, in the philosophical sense of the word, and thus could not be a “logical fallacy”. Unless I’m invoking a strict definition of “logical fallacy” that doesn’t really exist, of course. Not a Philosopher, me.