--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Philosophers have often looked for the…" description: "\"Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of humans — language, rationality, culture, and so on. I'd stick with this: Man is the only ani..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/paul-bloom-3720_animal_philosophers-have-often-looked-for-the-d_736360.jpg" --- # Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of… ![“Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of humans — language, rationality, culture, and so on. I'd stick with this: Man is the only animal that likes Tabasco sauce.” quote by Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/paul-bloom-3720_animal_philosophers-have-often-looked-for-the-d_736360.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/paul-bloom-3720_animal_philosophers-have-often-looked-for-the-d_736360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/paul-bloom-3720_animal_philosophers-have-often-looked-for-the-d_736360.jpg) > “Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of humans — language, rationality, culture, and so on. I'd stick with this: Man is the only animal that likes Tabasco sauce.” [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans distinguish themselves by complex culture and taste, exemplified humor a love for spicy condiments. **In simple terms:** Humans love spicy sauce more than other animals. Key Takeaway Embrace unique human quirks. Themes culture identity taste humor Mood playful thoughtful Type humorous observational When to use this quote - marketing - food trends - social bonding - cultural studies Key Concepts anthropology culinary preferences Questions to Reflect On - What does our love of spice say about humanity? - How do cultural foods shape identity? A Different Perspective Humans also share many traits with animals, limiting uniqueness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Defining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining/) [Features](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/features/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Likes Tabasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes-tabasco-5757709/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers/) [Philosophers Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers-looked-5757710/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Rationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationality/) [Rationality Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rationality-culture-1870504/) [Sauce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sauce/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Tabasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tabasco/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a person who writes really abstract things with oblique references. I look at abstraction like I look at condiments. Give me some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-m-not-a-person-who-writes-really-abstract-things-with-oblique/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [In order to write music, you need lots of Tabasco sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/in-order-to-write-music-you-need-lots-of-tabasco-sauce/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [The only really good vegetable is Tabasco sauce. Put Tabasco sauce in everything. Tabasco sauce is to bachelor cooking what forgiveness is to sin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-only-really-good-vegetable-is-tabasco-sauce-put-tabasco-sauce-in/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Tabasco sauce is to bachelor cooking what forgiveness is to sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/tabasco-sauce-is-to-bachelor-cooking-what-forgiveness-is-to-sin/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I put Tabasco sauce over everything. Or I put it on pretty much anything that wouldn't taste gross - I mean, I wouldn't put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-lavine/i-put-tabasco-sauce-over-everything-or-i-put-it-on-pretty-much/) [Zach LaVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-lavine/) > [“idealism mistakenly imputes a logic and rationality to culture”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-davison-hunter/idealism-mistakenly-imputes-a-logic-and-rationality-to-culture/) [James Davison Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-davison-hunter/) > [“Even without newfangled brain technologies, some forms of deception might become harder to practice thanks to increased availability of many kinds of data, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/even-without-newfangled-brain-technologies-some-forms-of-deception/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [I just started making Bloody Marys. I always thought they looked gross, then I tasted one. There's an art to it, from the Tabasco…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-reid/i-just-started-making-bloody-marys-i-always-thought-they-looked-gross/) [Tara Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-reid/) > [Wha...what are you smiling for...? If I'd swallowed that needle, I'd have died! It's not like putting tabasco in ohagi!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryukishi07/wha-what-are-you-smiling-for-if-i-d-swallowed-that-needle-i-d-have/) [Ryukishi07](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryukishi07/) > [When you use Tabasco in the marinade, it kind of infuses everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/when-you-use-tabasco-in-the-marinade-it-kind-of-infuses-everything/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [I think Tabasco brings me pure heat and Southern kind of familiarity, along with the vinegar and the barrel-aged spices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-think-tabasco-brings-me-pure-heat-and-southern-kind-of-familiarity/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [ When you use it in cooked foods, it changes \[the Tabasco flavor\] a little bit; it loses a little bit of the bright acid… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/when-you-use-it-in-cooked-foods-it-changes-the-tabasco-flavor-a/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [“Once an opportunist like Mickey, who took the argument when she jumped on some devastated wretch's machine and jackpotted that it was the "cash-ino's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-barrett/once-an-opportunist-like-mickey-who-took-the-argument-when-she-jumped/) [Hope Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-barrett/) > [I carry my own tea, food, and Tabasco on the plane with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-carry-my-own-tea-food-and-tabasco-on-the-plane-with-me/) [Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/) > [When I put some Tabasco on things, and there's really nothing in Tabasco, it's not bad for you in any way, so that's kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ditka/when-i-put-some-tabasco-on-things-and-there-s-really-nothing-in/) [Mike Ditka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ditka/) ## More by Paul Bloom > [I have two teenage sons, and they're both surviving, thriving, and having a great time, and they're always on social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-have-two-teenage-sons-and-they-re-both-surviving-thriving-and/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Families survive the terrible twos because toddlers aren't strong enough to kill with their hands and aren't capable of using lethal weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/families-survive-the-terrible-twos-because-toddlers-aren-t-strong/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [If Inigo Montoya were around now, he wouldn't need to storm the castle to bring his father's murderer to justice; the police would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/if-inigo-montoya-were-around-now-he-wouldn-t-need-to-storm-the-castle/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Most of us know nothing about constitutional law, so it's hardly surprising that we take sides in the Obamacare debate the way we root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/most-of-us-know-nothing-about-constitutional-law-so-it-s-hardly/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [“Being a good person likely is more related to distanced feelings of compassion and kindness, along with intelligence, self-control, and a sense of justice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/being-a-good-person-likely-is-more-related-to-distanced-feelings-of/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Imagination is Reality Lite - a useful substitute when the real pleasure is inaccessible, too risky, or too much work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/imagination-is-reality-lite-a-useful-substitute-when-the-real/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [One way to make a baby cry is to expose it to cries of other babies. There's sort of contagiousness to the crying. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/one-way-to-make-a-baby-cry-is-to-expose-it-to-cries-of-other-babies/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I want to convince you that humans are, to some extent, natural born essentialists. What I mean by this is we don't just respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-want-to-convince-you-that-humans-are-to-some-extent-natural-born/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [The fact that something can be used for good isn't necessarily a knockdown argument for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/the-fact-that-something-can-be-used-for-good-isn-t-necessarily-a/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [ Our best hope for the future \[...\] lies in an appreciation of the fact that, even if we don’t empathize with distant strangers, their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/our-best-hope-for-the-future-lies-in-an-appreciation-of-the-fact-that/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [When people want to inspire you to turn against some group of people, they'll often use empathy. When Obama wanted to bomb Syria, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/when-people-want-to-inspire-you-to-turn-against-some-group-of-people/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I'm very interested in why we do good things, or bad things, and where moral judgments come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-m-very-interested-in-why-we-do-good-things-or-bad-things-and-where/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I have my own difficulty with movies in which the suffering of the characters is too real, and many find it difficult to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-have-my-own-difficulty-with-movies-in-which-the-suffering-of-the/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [I think what a lot of fiction is, is the imagining of the worst so as to prepare ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/i-think-what-a-lot-of-fiction-is-is-the-imagining-of-the-worst-so-as/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [Morality is often seen as an innovation, like agriculture and writing. From this perspective, babies are pint-sized psychopaths, self-interested beings who need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/morality-is-often-seen-as-an-innovation-like-agriculture-and-writing/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) [Explore all 123 Paul Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Philosophers have often looked for the defining feature of humans — language, rationality, culture, and so on. 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