Great Ideas

Animal

A living being that senses and moves itself; thinkers ask how animals differ from plants and from human beings.

Works to read

Passages

  • each animal as a whole must have within itself a point at rest

    — Aristotle, On the Motion and Gait of Animals

  • This is why there is always a class of men and animals and plants

    — Aristotle, Generation of Animals

  • And of necessity, man must be the best known to us of all animals

    — Aristotle, History of Animals

  • the animal organism must be conceived after the similitude of a well-governed commonwealth

    — Aristotle, On the Motion and Gait of Animals

  • Yes, the same sort of likeness which a wolf, who is the fiercest of animals, has to a dog, who is the gentlest

    — Plato, Sophist

  • Man, as we say, is a tame or civilized animal; nevertheless, he requires proper instruction and a fortunate nature

    — Plato, Laws

Passages are verified quotations from the library that use one of these words: animal, animals, beast, beasts. Sentences under “From the texts” are copied word for word from the full texts in this library. Read each in its context on the work's page.

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