["[man] is concerned only with the very same things which the animal too attains, and attains with an incomparably smaller expenditure of emotion." This Schopenhauer quote really stood out for me. It seems such a stark encapsulation of the human condition.
That said, mankind has used its faculties of planning and thinking to achieve greater safety from mortal danger. When I watch birds feeding in my garden, I'm struck by how alert they are to predators, their eyes darting around in all directions before they grab a seed and fly away. It's hard to know whether they are expending emotion, or simply carrying out an innate behaviour.
["[man] is concerned only with the very same things which the animal too attains, and attains with an incomparably smaller expenditure of emotion." This Schopenhauer quote really stood out for me. It seems such a stark encapsulation of the human condition.
That said, mankind has used its faculties of planning and thinking to achieve greater safety from mortal danger. When I watch birds feeding in my garden, I'm struck by how alert they are to predators, their eyes darting around in all directions before they grab a seed and fly away. It's hard to know whether they are expending emotion, or simply carrying out an innate behaviour.