Anthropomorphism

“The interpretation of nonhuman things or events in terms of human characteristics, as when one senses malice in a computer or hears human voices in the wind. Derived from the Greek anthropos ("human") and morphe ("form"), the term was first used to refer to the attribution of human physical or mental features to deities. By the mid-19th century, however, it had acquired the second, broader meaning of a phenomenon occurring not only in religion but in all areas of human thought and action, including daily life, the arts, and even sciences. Anthropomorphism may occur consciously or unconsciously. Most scholars since the time of the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) have agreed that the tendency to anthropomorphize hinders the understanding of the world, but it is deep-seated and persistent.”

Encyclopedia description of Anthropomorphism taken from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anthropomorphism