So, for some reason, it really pisses me off, not just a little irritation, but it pisses me off when people say that animlas have emotion. They dont.

They simply exist, learn, evolve, and reproduce. If they display something that appears to be fear, that is a response saying get the hell out of here so you dont die. If they display something that appears to be anger, they are defending themselves…so they dont die. If they display something that appears to be sadness, they are just conserving their energy so that they dont repeat the same situation, because they may appear weak. If they are displaying something that appears to be joy, they are simply helping themselves to remember to perform that certain action. So, I guess, in effect, animals do have these primitive, basic emotions. But they are not in the same manner as humans. They are simply survival tactics.

Animals have learned how to get you to divert your attention from yourself to them. So then, that ends up making you feel better because you think they are trying to make you feel better, when they are actually being selfish and only wanting you to pet them or feed them or walk them, or be their ally, so they make it a better chance that they dont die. Thats the problem, humans are what create this anthropomorphism, and they sit there and convince themselves of it.

Scientists have proven that no animals (not even primates) even have empathy (i.e. understanding what another animal is thinking.) Animals do not have theory of mind, which means they attribute mental processes to other individuals/animals. Without a theory of mind it is impossible for an animal or person to show tactical deception. Animals do not even have a self-concept. Your dog or cat isnt smart enough to even tell the difference between itself and another dog or cat of the same species. Scientists have done tests on animals to prove this. They made some distinguishing mark on an animal and put it in front of a mirror and the animal didnt respond by grooming. (the only animals that did were chimpanzees, some great apes, (not even monkeys) and some cetaceans…)
Despite how many lay persons beileve this, there are very few scientists that accept the idea of animal emotions. HMM.

DO NOT tell me that animals have emotions or even higher cognitive skills. They are simply products of survival and memory.