I think that it’s fair to say that as a people, we have a rather dominating human-centric view of the world. I mean it makes sense to me, primarily thinking about one’s own species is probably a pretty good way to practice self-preservation. However, I think that it is time we challenged our human-centric views on the world and tried to put ourselves in somebody else’s paws.
I believe a good example to talk about is dogs. What I’ve noticed is that people seem to give dogs a lot of human traits that I really don’t believe to be there. Let’s think about poop for a second. Barring any major change in your genetic code, I would venture to guess that you don’t really enjoy the smell of poop. Many people I have noticed, also assume that dogs shouldn’t either. I have seen some people say that a dog sniffs and eats his own poo because he is stupid, this is clearly not the case. To think this, is taking a very human-centric approach to observation. What is instead most likely happening, is that a dog’s powerful genetic predispositions have not gone down a path that says “poop is bad”. Animal behaviorists call this concept Anthropomorphism, or the personification of nonhuman things.
If we look deeper into a dogs experience, we realize how different the world they are seeing really is. Of course people realize some senses are heightened and others are dulled in dogs, but what many fail to remember is that the things we sense may be interpreted entirely differently by dogs. Some sounds we may find soothing causes them panic, some tastes we hate they can love (like poop). Of course this is just dogs, who are mammals. When we look further away genetically the differences become even more extreme.
Some animals don’t rely on vision to navigate at all, but instead on vibrations in the Earth. Take a moment if you will, to imagine what that existence would be like. How about some ants, who operate almost exclusively on the scents of chemicals left behind by their fellow colonists? When we take a moment to try and imagine these things it is clear to see that even when we are factually aware of the differences that we have, it is so hard to place ourselves in that experience. This just goes to show a piece of the endless puzzle that is living existence.
This is usually the part where I talk about this idea’s societal implications and what kind of good it will do. I am not sure if it would do any good, it might just end up being a fun thing to talk about. However, I hope that maybe if more people think this way then they could appreciate the complexity and true scope of life a bit more. So the next time you see your dog dashing around the yard like a maniac, or an ant carrying a crumb across the floor, just think to yourself, “What does life look and feel like to them?”. I think you may be surprised with the results.