--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is said to be a reasoning animal. I…" description: "\"Man is said to be a reasoning animal. I do not know why he has not been defined as an affective or feeling animal. Perhaps that which differentiates hi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/miguel-de-unamuno-2211_animal_man-is-said-to-be-a-reasoning-animal-i-d_822037.jpg" --- # Man is said to be a reasoning animal. I do not know why he… ![“Man is said to be a reasoning animal. I do not know why he has not been defined as an affective or feeling animal. Perhaps that which differentiates him from other animals is feeling rather than reason. More often I have seen a cat reason than laugh or weep. Perhaps it weeps or laughs inwardly…” quote by Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/miguel-de-unamuno-2211_animal_man-is-said-to-be-a-reasoning-animal-i-d_822037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/miguel-de-unamuno-2211_animal_man-is-said-to-be-a-reasoning-animal-i-d_822037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/miguel-de-unamuno-2211_animal_man-is-said-to-be-a-reasoning-animal-i-d_822037.jpg) > “Man is said to be a reasoning animal. I do not know why he has not been defined as an affective or feeling animal. Perhaps that which differentiates him from other animals is feeling rather than reason. More often I have seen a cat reason than laugh or weep. Perhaps it weeps or laughs inwardly — but then perhaps, also inwardly, the crab resolves equations of the second degree.” [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions whether humans are defined by reason or feeling, suggesting feeling may be more fundamental. **In simple terms:** He wonders if feeling, not reason, defines humans. Key Takeaway Value emotions alongside logic. Themes philosophy human nature emotion Mood contemplative philosophical Type literary existential When to use this quote - personal introspection - psychology studies - ethical decisions Key Concepts existentialism reason vs feeling animal cognition Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize feeling or reason? - Can both coexist harmoniously? A Different Perspective Emotion alone may not guide actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Resolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resolve/) ## Related quotes > [Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/do-you-ever-get-the-feeling-that-the-only-reason-we-have-elections-is/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [There are barbarians who seize this dog, who so prodigiously surpasses man in friendship, and nail him down to a table, and dissect him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/there-are-barbarians-who-seize-this-dog-who-so-prodigiously-surpasses/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [My feeling toward the animal is that he is our younger brother, and that we are our brothers keeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-johnston/my-feeling-toward-the-animal-is-that-he-is-our-younger-brother-and-2/) [Mary Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-johnston/) > [I think Rafael Nadal is pretty spectacular. 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As man emerged out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/evolution-is-not-finished-reason-is-not-the-last-word-nor-the/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [“How is it possible, she thought, that a person can drive a thinking, feeling, animal to slaughter and not become less than an animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haven-kimmel/how-is-it-possible-she-thought-that-a-person-can-drive-a-thinking/) [Haven Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haven-kimmel/) > [I've got a lot of people that are really good at taming animals and working with animals; and they can't explain how they do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/i-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-are-really-good-at-taming-animals-and/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. 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Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-reasoning-animal-such-is-the-claim-i-think-it-is-open-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-reasoning-animal-such-is-the-claim-i-think-it-is-open-to-3/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Miguel de Unamuno > [The pessimism that protests and defends itself cannot be truly said to be pessimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/the-pessimism-that-protests-and-defends-itself-cannot-be-truly-said/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [We should try to be the parents of our future rather than the offspring of our past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/we-should-try-to-be-the-parents-of-our-future-rather-than-the/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [We never know, believe me, when we have succeeded best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/we-never-know-believe-me-when-we-have-succeeded-best/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/a-lot-of-good-arguments-are-spoiled-by-some-fool-who-knows-what-he-is/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Philosophy fulfills the need to create for ourselves a single and complete concept of the world and of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/philosophy-fulfills-the-need-to-create-for-ourselves-a-single-and/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [None are so likely to believe too little as those who have begun by believing too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/none-are-so-likely-to-believe-too-little-as-those-who-have-begun-by/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [The devil is an angel too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/the-devil-is-an-angel-too/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [My work...is to shatter the faith of men here, there, and everywhere, faith in affirmation, faith in negation, and faith in abstention from faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/my-work-is-to-shatter-the-faith-of-men-here-there-and-everywhere/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [“I must not throw away my village to win my soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/i-must-not-throw-away-my-village-to-win-my-soul/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Everything that exalts and expands consciousness is good, while that which depresses and diminishes it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/everything-that-exalts-and-expands-consciousness-is-good-while-that/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Was man made for science, or was science made for man?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/was-man-made-for-science-or-was-science-made-for-man/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [We need God, not in order to understand the why, but in order to feel and sustain the ultimate wherefore, to give a meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/we-need-god-not-in-order-to-understand-the-why-but-in-order-to-feel/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [Science says: 'We must live,' and seeks the means of prolonging, increasing, facilitating and amplifying life, of making it tolerable and acceptable, wisdom says:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/science-says-we-must-live-and-seeks-the-means-of-prolonging/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [To love with the spirit is to pity, and he who pities most loves most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/to-love-with-the-spirit-is-to-pity-and-he-who-pities-most-loves-most/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [These terrible sociologists, who are the astrologers and alchemists of our twentieth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/these-terrible-sociologists-who-are-the-astrologers-and-alchemists-of/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) [Explore all 153 Miguel de Unamuno quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man is said to be a reasoning animal. I do not know why he has not been defined as an affective or feeling animal. Perhaps that which differentiates him from other animals is feeling rather than reason. More often I have seen a cat reason than laugh or weep. 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