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Poetry · Chapter
IV explained
A brief philosophical reflection on how different beings conceive of the divine, suggesting that a donkey would imagine God with long ears and a tail, while humans conceive of God as resembling a man.
What happens
A brief philosophical reflection on how different beings conceive of the divine, suggesting that a donkey would imagine God with long ears and a tail, while humans conceive of God as resembling a man.
Key passages
“Asked to describe the Deity, a donkey would represent him with long ears and a tail. Man’s conception is higher and truer: he thinks of him as somewhat resembling a man.”
If a donkey were asked to picture God, it would imagine him with long ears and a tail. Humans, however, have a more elevated view: they imagine God as being like a man.
The narrator uses this analogy to comment on anthropomorphism in religious thought.