“People who blame the Bible for the modern destruction of nature have failed to see its delight in the variety and individuality of creatures and its insistence upon their holiness. But that delight-in, say, the final chapters of Job or the 104th Psalm-is far more useful to the cause of conservation than the undifferentiating abstractions of science... Reverence gives standing to creatures, and to our perception of them, just as the law gives standing to a citizen.” PeopleGivingJobsLawCausesAnimalModernCitizensCreaturesPerceptionStandingDestructionBlameFinalsIndividualityDelightVarietyHolinessReverenceChaptersConservationAbstractionInsistencePsalmsDestruction Of Nature Author:Wendell Berry
“When we say 'time', I believe we mean at least two things. We mean changes. And we mean something unchangeable. We mean something that moves . but against an unmoving background. And vice versa.Animals can sense changes. But consciousness of time involves the double sense of constancy and change. Which can only be attributed to those who give expression to it. And that can only be done through language, and only man has language.The perception of time and language are inextricably bound up with one another.” MenGivingBelieveMeanTwoDoneMovingLanguageI BelieveAnimalConsciousnessExpressionPerceptionBoundsVicesBackgroundsTwo ThingsVice VersaConstancyUnchangeable Book:Borderliners: A Novel Source: Borderliners: A Novel
“The most evident difference between man and animals is this: the beast, in as much as it is largely motivated by the senses and with little perception of the past or future, lives only for the present. But man, because he is endowed with reason by which he is able to perceive relationships, sees the causes of things, understands the reciprocal nature of cause and effect, makes analogies, easily surveys the whole course of his life, and makes the necessary preparations for its conduct.” MenLittlesReasonWholeAblePastCoursesCausesDifferencesAnimalEffectsPerceptionSensesPreparationPerceiveBeastMotivatedHumankindEvidentCause And EffectSurveysAnalogiesReciprocalFuture Life Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero
“I know that I'm an animal that displays bilateral symmetry. I understand that one side should be the mirror of the other, and that human perceptions of beauty are intimately associated with symmetry. For example, I am very handsome.” KnowsShouldHumansSidesAnimalExamplePerceptionMirrorsDisplayHandsomeSymmetryPerception Of Beauty Author:Mark Rippetoe
“We talked about how easy it was to make the mistake of anthropomorphizing animals, and projecting our own feelings and perceptions on to them, where they were inappropriate and didn't fit. We simply had no idea what it was like being an extremely large lizard, and neither for that matter did the lizard, because it was not self-conscious about being an extremely large lizard, it just got on with the business of being one. To react with revulsion to its behavior was to make the mistake of applying criteria that are only appropriate to the business of being human.” HumansIdeasSelfMatterFeelingsEasyAnimalMistakeFitBehaviorPerceptionConsciousNo IdeaAppropriateBeing HumanCriteriaSelf ConsciousInappropriateLizardsRevulsion Author:Douglas Adams