∞
@LauraJMG It's intriguing, isn't it? And ancient, closely related to animism.
Gregory Benford wrote a novel based on the premise. It ... was OK.
It's true metaphorically, if not in reality. Two days ago, I accidentally kicked the space heater in our sunroom and automatically apologized to it. I don't feel foolish about it either. (If I had not been wearing closed-toed shoes, I would have expected an apology from the radiator.)