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Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to a nonhuman object or being such as a plant, animal, geological feature, or deity. Instances of anthropomorphism can be found historically in cultures throughout the world. Around the seventeenth century, many scholars began to agree that the human tendency to anthropomorphize inhibits a clearer understanding of the world. In the twenty-first century, however, many concede that it also enables people to feel compassion and empathy, and to extend moral considerations and ethical care to nonhuman animals.