ANTHROPOMORPHISM, the attribution of human form, or the character or qualities of humanity, to objects believed to be above humanity in the scale of being, and in particular to God or the gods. The word is also used in a wider sense to signify the attribution of human qualities to anything impersonal or non rational or below humanity in the scale of being, as when refer ence is made to the "vision" of molluscs, or the "reasoning pow ers" of lower animals, or, generally, when the actions of animals are interpreted after the analogies of human nature. Anthropo morphism may be a form of poetic metaphor, as in many passages in the Hebrew Scriptures; thus, Pusey, commenting on the saying "Thou didst walk through the sea with Thine horses" (Habb. iii. 15), observes that "such anthropomorphisms have a truth which men's favourite abstractions have not" (Minor Prophets, 433).
We are here concerned with the development of anthropo morphism as a factor in the interpretation of religion, and with special reference to the doctrine of Deity. We may distinguish three stages : (i) Physical anthropomorphism : the belief that Deity has human form. This is found in all levels of religious development, from that of the Fuegians to that of the ancient Greeks.' (ii) Mental and moral anthropomorphism: here the belief in a Deity of limited bodily form, or any kind of material nature, is abandoned, and stress is laid on qualities of thought, feeling, and will, in monotheistic religion believed to be possessed by Deity without their human limitations : "the Wrath of God," "the Wisdom of God," "the Love of God." (iii) Spiritual an thropomorphism : the belief that our experience of the highest developments of human nature and their ideal possibilities, ade quately interpreted, provides an insight into the nature of Deity : "God is the Truth in all that is true, the Beauty in all that is beautiful, the Goodness in all that is good." It thus appears that to abandon every kind of anthropomor phism is to abandon theism for agnosticism. This was seen clearly and stated by Herbert Spencer : "It seems strange that men should suppose that the highest worship lies in assimilating the object of their worship to them selves. . . . It is true that from the time when the rudest savages imagined the causes of all things to be creatures of flesh and blood like themselves, down to our own time, the degree of as sumed likeness has been diminishing. But though a bodily form and substance, similar to that of man, has long ceased among cultivated races to be a literally conceived attribute of the Ultimate Cause,—though the grosser human desires have also been rejected as unfit elements of the conception,—though there is some hesitation in ascribing even the higher human feelings, save in greatly idealized shapes,—yet it is still thought not only proper, but imperative, to ascribe the most abstract qualities of our nature. To think of the Creative Power as in all respects anthropomorphous is now considered impious by men who yet 'In the Christian Church, simple minds have believed in the corporeal nature of God. Gibbon and other writers quote from John Cassian the tale of the poor monk who, being convinced of his error, exclaimed "You have taken away my God ! I have none left now whom I can worship !" hold themselves bound to think of the Creative power as in some respects anthropomorphous; and who do not see that the one proceeding is but an evanescent form of the other" (Firsi Principles, pt. i.) .
Theistic philosophy has dealt with this argument by contending that when we regard our ideals of truth, beauty, goodness, as affording interpretative insight into the nature of the Creative Power, this is not an evanescent form of the anthropomorphism of savages, but an anthropomorphism which is capable of growing in depth and critical power with the growth of human nature. In religion, it is maintained, our intelligence is confronted by an Object which is immeasurably above it in its own line, and there fore not inconceivable and unthinkable but the realization of our highest ideal of spiritual excellence.
Anthropomorphism may be studied as a factor in the history of religions; and again as leading to the fundamental problem of the philosophy of theism. The student can only be referred to works on these subjects; but the following will serve as introduc tions to the subject on its philosophical side: Mellone, The Price of Progress (1924), especially ch. vii., on "Symbolism"; Pringle Pattison, Man's Place in the Cosmos (2nd ed. 1902), pp. 61, 206, 287 ff.; and The Idea of God (1920), ch. viii.; Streeter, Reality (1926), ch. iv., v.; Martineau, Essays and Addresses, vol. iv., "Science, Nescience, and Faith"; and on the negative side ; Spen cer, First Principles, later editions, pt. i. ; Bertrand Russell, Phil osophical Essays, ch. ii., "The Free Man's Worship" (cf. same writer, "The Essence of Religion," Hibbert Journal (1912-13), vol. xi., p. 46, and A. S. Pringle-Pattison, "The Free Man's Wor ship," ibid. (1913-14), vol. P. 47- (S. H. M.)