A corpse was just an inanimate thing which filled space.
A nation, like a building, is more than just an inanimate "thing."
How could an inanimate thing think or have feelings?
It is clear from his experience that inanimate things have concerns, just as animate ones do.
The street signs point one inanimate thing in the direction of another.
It's always taking inanimate things and giving meaning to them.
"That noise seemed to affect inanimate things worse than us."
Even inanimate things, including water, are considered to have a soul.
But not by any means always if you are talking of inanimate things.
"I really am not skilled with inanimate things," she said.
