The Anthropomorphism Dilemma: Narrating Nonhuman Agency

I believe that mythical stories can help us grasp large, cohesive organizations that possess agency—aka ogregores. However, there’s a wrinkle. Most if not all stories involve human-like characters. On the other hand, ogregores aren’t human and don’t behave like them. Animist narratives which portray non-human agents without using anthropomorphism and psychological research into the causes of anthropomorphism may point a way around the dilemma. 

Not just people (Greenbriar 3)

One of the arguments made about agency during the Greenbriar Inn dinner sponsored by Dale Hatfield was that organizational agency is just shorthand for the action of the group’s human members. This brief post summarizes my rebuttal of that claim.