There is another strand to this. The high-quality wildlife documentary series such as “Meerkat Manor”, “Serengeti” and so forth, give us an insight into the real lives of these animals. Yes, the narrators give the animals names, but we can’t identify them by scent, so we have to differentiate individuals somehow. But the narrations are objective and knowledgeable, they don’t make excuses for the animals and they don’t try to point out how human-like they are when the simply aren’t like us at all. What they present is a compelling demonstration of how very different kinds of creatures respond to the challenges faced by all life -how to survive and to prosper with the hand nature has dealt them. This in and of itself renders anthropomorphism obsolete. Perhaps empathy no longer requires similarity to work. perhaps we no longer need to see ourselves in others in order to appreciate their problems and achievements? It would be nice to think so.