Annie Dillard’s essay, “Living Like Weasels”, show how her first encounter with this odd creature gave her new philosophical insight into human nature. Dillard feels connected to this creature which lead her to believe that we should become more like a weasel. So, should we live like weasels? Yes, we, as humanity, should bring back more of our natural instinct and possess a strong sense of necessity, both qualities that a weasel has. For if a weasels is one thing, it is persistent, and that is a quality that humanity is losing as civilization progresses. Annie Dillard description of a weasel as a creature that is truly free. Originally, I perceived weasels with a negative connotation, being a creature with a scheming nature and a sneaky personality, …show more content…
Weasels live for themselves. They find one thing that they focus their entire being to and they will not let go even in death. Humanity is longing for the same concept. I often find myself at a loss, constantly looking for a purpose in life, and being caught between two decisions, unable to proceed forward. Weasels are not like that. They leave no room for doubt in themselves, and even in death, they follow through. Dillard symbolized this very concept in her essay by telling of how a man shot down an eagle only to find the dry skull of a weasel attached to the eagle’s neck. The weasel is “obedient to instinct, he bites his prey at the neck...and he does not let go” (Dillard 119). Even though the weasel died, it did what it wanted to do even if it had to die to accomplish its task. That is perseverance in a very extreme sense. It is a quality that weasels have and humanity lacks. As Dillard …show more content…
Engineering is what I found that came from being a foreign concept to me to something that has became an integral part of my life, of my existence. I can not imagine my future being unrelated to engineering for it has become something that defines me. Even though I have found my necessity, something that I am willing to seize with all of my power, so many other people my age have not found theirs. Dillard is saying that we should be like a weasel and find something that matter to us, and hold it dear, and that also happens to be my thoughts on the matter. As humans we have distanced ourselves from nature, building big cities that surrounds us with so much noise we become lost in it. We should take a step back, back into nature and instinct, in order to move forward. Bring back the instinct to make a decision, to pick a fork in the road, and move forward and live as we are supposed to live. Find our purpose in life and hold on to that necessity so that it becomes such an integral part of our very being that, even in death, it is still a part of us. Annie Dillard’s essay, “Living Like Weasels” gives an interesting perception into how humans should be more like weasels. Weasels are creatures that are free of all of humanity’s wants and longing, only focusing it’s one necessity. We should learn how to live more like weasels, find our one purpose in life and live for it, letting it consume our very beings.
the idea of the wild and its importance and necessity of human interaction with the wild.
In which he describes the encounter between a man and a mouse, consequently, the writer determinates that there is certain connection between them, and that the mouse has also capacity to have thoughts, feel love and compassion. The connection between them is compared “a child of God” and the “holy creature” (Steiner 846). The writer concludes that as conscious beings, both individuals have the same level of dignity, therefore, the use of animals as food is considered an “unforgiveable”
As Mark Twain once stated, “The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.” This sentiment is often echoed by general society; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic opinion about “the perfectibility of man” by suggesting how man can improve. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, two tenants called George and Lennie go through many hardships all while chasing their dream of possessing their own farm. While they work at a farm, they meet an old swamper called Candy who offers to help them achieve their dream; he does so to ensure that he will have a future after he is fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy discusses the recent death of his dog and asks to join in on George and Lennie’s dream. Through this passage, Steinbeck proves that humans have an animalistic tendency of eliminating those who are weaker than them. This is depicted through the details connecting Candy to his dog as well as Candy’s diction when describing his potential future life. Steinbeck’s negative attitude towards man’s predatory nature implies that society needs to improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring.
As we see in the daily news, people are often cruel and inhumane, and we also see kinder people in everyday life. We see people who give up their own personal pleasure so they can serve others. But while these people are far and few between, it becomes quickly obvious that humans are drawn towards self-happiness. Bibliography:.. 1. What is the difference between a. and a Leviathan.
...vivalist instinct that involves self-preservation. Hobbes, however, is unable to explain altruism, thus we developed the Varied Levels of Survivalism as a layer above his theory. This modification allows for varying motives based on circumstances, all based on survival. Hume takes note of this altruistic tendency but he gives a scenario that is either inapplicable or he does not filter survivalism from humanity. Utilizing Hobbes’ survivalism, Hume’s generosity when capable, and the Varied Levels of Survivalism, we arrive at a viable theory of human nature and explanation of human behavior.
...inder of the cost of our lifestyle, for no one can live a totally cruelty free life. Cruelty will happen whether we wish it to or not—even people who abstain from animal sourced or tested foods and products will inevitably cause some cruelty by simply going about innocent daily life. For example, nearly any driver will eventually hit some animal no matter how hard they try to avoid it. The best one can do is make an honest effort to reduce his or her own impact on other creatures, whether that be by excluding animal products from their diet or seeking out foods from humane farms. Animal narratives are unique in their ability to allow the reader to experience these stories vicariously through the perspective of the animal, encouraging reflection and introspection on how humans treat others, and accordingly promoting empathy towards humankind’s fellow earthlings.
According to Rousseau, in the state of nature, man resembles the image of a savage. The human animal does not have a language or self awareness. Man simply dispersed among the beasts by imitating and
Humans look for some key equation through which they might tie all of the experiences of life and feel the satisfaction of action toward a goal, rather than the emptiness of which sometimes consumes the activities of our existence. However, humans may never find some great pure meaning beyond their mundane existences, because there is none. What there is to be found, however, is the life itself. Humans seek to find meaning so that emptiness will not pervade every thought, every deed, with the coldness of reality as seen by an unemotional eye. Without color, without joy, without future, reality untouched by hope is nothing more than an empty void. Man’s search for meaning is depicted in John Gardner’s Grendel, as Grendel’s perspective and philosophy
Susan Wolf, born in 1952, is widely considered one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th and 21st century. One of Wolf’s most renowned works is The meanings of Lives, which drew a lot of attention in the philosophical world for a number of questions that arose from it. Arguably her most widely debated and questioned assertion in The meanings of Lives is “If you care about yourself you’re living as if you’re the center of the universe, which is false.” This however I don’t not believe to be true. Every human being, no matter how successful or unsuccessful, has the right to care for them sleeves and not believe they are the center of the universe while doing so.
The more I contemplate this idea the more it comes into light as truth. Is this not what we do now? Kids go to college to learn a new trade that will support them for the rest of their life. This knowledge and trade is not in a multitude of areas but in one fixed field of study such as engineering, medicine, accounting, business, etc. We follow this “unwritten” way of life not just because we enjoy these fields but so that we do not have to do all that it requires for us to live. If I am an engineer than I do not want to be my own doctor, too ; I am willing to pay Dr. Pepper to diagnose my condition plus I trust his expertise and knowledge of the subject over mine.. Another point that Ridley declares and that I completely agree with is that as more technologies and advancements we develop the more new discoveries we will be able to uncover. It is an exponential curve of discovery that improves our quality of life. As I specialize in specific area I can advance technologies and inventions that will improve society or that could devise better inventions. With specialization we are able to have more free time and luxuries available to us which enables us to evolve our culture even
Oscar Wilde, an acclaimed Irish Poet, novelist, dramatist and critic once aptly commented, “Men become old, but they never become good”. The philosophical aspect of this quote relies on the basis that human beings are inherently malevolent. Through his pessimistic perspective, Wilde clearly captures the ill-disposed mindset of mankind. Moreover, there are various deductive arguments that discredit the optimistic depiction of human nature. One of the prime examples can be found in Kurt Vonnegut’s literature. In Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat's Cradle, through the illustration of his characters, the author symbolizes the four elements of human fallibility.
“... the right question for animals is not ‘Can they reason?’ ‘Can they talk?’, but ‘Can they suffer?’ ”
Animals need or want very few things as opposed to human beings. Animals, after finding food, water, and a place to sleep will often relax or find leisure time. Animals will never try to satisfy an excess of desires, because animals do not have any, nor do they have any concept of luxury.Contrastingly, human beings never seem to be satisfied with what they have in front of them, no matter how much that figure is. Constant technological and societal development has produced a way of satisfying human’s multiplying desires and simultaneously make more desires
Dillard’s essay delves into the way humans live, and says that we as humans “could live any way we want" (Dillard 66). All Dillard encountered was a mere weasel. An ordinary
... have seen human nature grow and change. Because human nature is dynamic, we must observe it throughout history. Human nature grows through factions, it is protected through just popular government and its future is ensured through the ultimate good. We are living in human nature, we are human nature, and because of this we are also changing. We change as the ideas and opinions of the world change. Through death, we may come to fully understand human nature but only through living will we use the power of our human nature to create the just world of tomorrow.