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One of my favorite explanations for why we might anthropomorphize inanimate tools (as well as high utility animals, and other things) and begin to feel empathy for them is that perhaps it allowed us to highly emotionally value them as rare, important objects which would naturally trigger the sort of behavior (continual investment of time and resources) that would keep them functioning and useful. If you see your corgi like a nephew or your woodworking tools like a vaguely adulterous relationship, you take care of them better, spend more time with/on them, increasing their future usefulness to you. This way of thinking may have especially been useful in previous times when everything wasn't so disposable/replaceable.