On the Absolute Dissimilarity Between the Soul of Man and the Animal

Those daring to compare and to compare the instincts for self-preservation of animals to the psychological phenomena of man are shown to be very superficial and short-sighted, for they do not perceive either the general, free, independent and unlimited character of the former, or the partial and exclusive character of the latter.

Man in each step is perfected; his works and thoughts have as their object the whole of nature; he thinks about himself and about humanity. In general man estimates himself and the animals according to the degree of accuracy present in them. The works such as the construction of hives by monkeys, from ancient times unaltered, compared to the varied and all-wise buildings of stone, necessary for the maintenance of life as well as to the elephant through the dexterity of the proboscis and to the other animals according to the proportion of the organs of the body; if it were wonderful that divine providence fitted knowledge to the body for the maintenance, development and flourishing of animals; who can maintain that it would have had the use of stone as an instrument helping in its self-feeding, if not such a construction of the hand felt in itself this.

The construction of the body, so also such invention and knowledge, such as the construction of the body of the animal. The one viewing an animal can define the limits of its knowledge and understanding. The wisdom and understanding of animals are of a particular character; each animal has proportionate wisdom; the wisdom of one animal has no kinship with the wisdom of another of the same order, they are not based on the same foundation, for they do not have a basis of reason, but the nature of the animal; many animals can live in the same lands for ages, but never will one animal benefit from the wisdom and knowledge of another animal; the ape can see the beaver building for ages, but never will it imitate the art of that one; nor the dog, nor another bird of another bird; nor the more nor the less developed animal will imitate the knowledge of the other.

The soul of the animal therefore has not the slightest likeness to that of man; for the animal neither works in knowledge nor has consciousness of the end of its work; whereas man works freely, as a being having a rational soul in awareness and knowledge of the purpose and end, as we shall demonstrate.