"One of our well-known natural historians thinks that
there is no difference between a man’s reason and a beaver’s reason because, he
says, when a man builds a dam, he first looks the ground over, and after due
deliberation decides upon his plan, and a beaver, he avers, does the same. But
the difference is obvious. Beavers, under the same conditions, build the same
kind of dams and lodges; and all beavers as a rule do the same. Instinct is
uniform in its workings; it runs in a groove. Reason varies endlessly and makes
endless mistakes. Men build various kinds of dams and in various kinds of
places, with various kinds of material and for various kinds of uses. They
exercise individual judgment, they invent new ways and seek new ends, and of
course often fail.
Every man has his own measure of reason, be it
more or less. It is largely personal and original with him, and frequent
failure is the penalty he pays for this gift."
-John Burroughs
“Very
few other animals have challenged our actions and behaviors as much as the
beaver has. We plant a tree; beavers can cut it down. We build a road; beavers
can dig right through the roadbed and turn it into a creek. We drain a
landscape; beavers build a dam and bring
water back. There is something in that persistent drive to sustain water on the
landscape that is a clue for our own survival as a species. Whether we take the
time to learn from other species depends on or own adaptability and willingness
to see our world and the resources within us in a new light.”
-Glynnis
Hood
Works Cited:
Burroughs, John. "A Beaver's Reason." Writings of John Burroughs: Ways of Nature. South Carolina: Bibliobazaar, 2009. Print.
Hood, Glynnis A. The Beaver Manifesto. Victoria, B.C: Rocky Mountain, 2011. Print.
Works Cited:
Burroughs, John. "A Beaver's Reason." Writings of John Burroughs: Ways of Nature. South Carolina: Bibliobazaar, 2009. Print.
Hood, Glynnis A. The Beaver Manifesto. Victoria, B.C: Rocky Mountain, 2011. Print.