Interpreting with Empathy

Empathetic language matters.

There is a growing movement within the conservation community to share the stories of nonhuman species in a way that promotes connection and compassion within the public realm. Empathy is the ability to understand and take on another’s perspective, which aligns closely with our mission of connecting our community with the natural world.

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to nonhumans; for many years, this has been strictly avoided in the scientific community because it has the potential to spread misunderstandings or unrealistic expectations. There is much harm in uninformed anthropomorphism, which occurs when someone assumes their own feelings about a situation equate to an animal’s or plant’s experiences. This misconception tends to happen when someone doesn’t fully understand the life history of that species and projects, rather than empathizes. It’s important to keep in mind that nonhumans do not experience the sensory world in the same way that we do. Think about the rainbow mantis shrimp, who can see twelve channels of color vision, from ultraviolet to infrared; meanwhile, humans only see three!

There is a recent strategy of environmental education called critical anthropomorphism that uses familiar and approachable metaphors to help people relate to the natural world, backed by scientific findings. By intertwining the life history of a species through an empathetic narrative, it’s possible to reach a deeper understanding of the surrounding world. This framing can be especially helpful for relating to living beings who are often misunderstood, such as snakes, insects, or even plants.

Advancing Conservation through Empathy (ACE) for Wildlife advocates sharing a relatable story about a species’ daily life, behaviors, and preferences while imparting scientific knowledge about its natural history. When people can understand and relate to a living being, their positive associations contribute toward overall protection and conservation. An example of this framing relates to the Native Animal Ambassadors in our care. Rather than referring to an animal as “it”, we call them by name to respect their own individual autonomy and intrinsic worth. In the field of conservation (and in every sense, everywhere), the words we share hold weight. This is why we choose empathetic language at Reflection Riding.