Dangerously Lost
Animals as critics—
I fear that the animals
consider man as a being like themselves
that has lost in a most dangerous way
its sound animal common sense;
they consider him the insane animal,
the laughing animal,
the weeping animal,
the miserable animal.
–excerpt The Gay Science, Book 3, Section 224 by Friedrich Nietzsche
How does an animals think? Are they able to think of us? Perhaps they perceive us as a similar bi-pedal animal. Our conceptual abilities resulting from language are a quantum leap surpassing the capabilities of any other known animal. Still there is a cost, — something has been released, or unleashed would be a better way to put it. Enhanced intelligence, the ability to manipulate symbols, ancient discursive languages (Japanese, French, English), and the relatively more recent languages, from pi (3.14159265359…) to Boolean Algebra allow us to engineer cities, and fashion doomsday weapons. Homo Faber: man-the-maker. Superlative intelligence mated with a wild, emotional disorientation.
Dangerously lost, insane, laughing, weeping — the miserable animal.
Sound-Animal-Common-Sense.
