“Man differs from other animals in one very important respect, and that is that he has some desires which are, so to speak, infinite, which can never be fully gratified, and which would keep him restless even in Paradise.” — Bertrand Russell
“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” — Mark Twain 1
The Nature of Man
Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun (2021) explores the question of the uniqueness of all human beings. → Humans can be reduced to information, which is a cluster of algorithms.
Footnotes
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Mark Twain’s quote highlights a profound observation about human nature and the contrasting loyalty of animals, particularly dogs. It suggests that when a dog is cared for, even in its most desperate state, it responds with unwavering loyalty and gratitude. However, Twain implies that humans, unlike dogs, may not always show such loyalty or appreciation, even when helped or rescued from hardship. ↩