The measure of a human being, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, is whether others are more at ease because of you; comfort kept for oneself is something cattle and birds attain as well. That is a bracing place to begin, because it refuses to let human distinction rest on cleverness alone. The same mind that discovers the roundness of the earth, sends ships under the sea and voices across continents, can hate more terribly than any animal and, with its inventions, kill thousands at a stroke. The animal is nature’s captive; the human being alone wrests the sword from nature’s hand, and that freedom cuts both ways. Behind the familiar ladder of mineral, plant, animal and human lies a claim about the soul: a power of discovery not reducible to sharper senses, a capacity for virtue, and an image of God realised only through education and effort. Aristotle’s account of the powers of living things offers a philosophical foil for weighing those claims [1]. The journey continues into the mind’s power over nature, the higher and lower natures within each person, and the long questions of human evolution.
Man must be distinguished from animal, and man's distinction lies in becoming the cause of the comfort and ease of others. Otherwise, if comfort and benefit are merely personal, all beasts and birds attain to this, nay rather, for man, like unto cattle, physical comfort, pleasure and bounty are impossible.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Feb-04, to Mirza Mahmud Khan -- AB05772)
02
The most important of all intentions is to spread the love of God, to establish harmony and oneness among the people. This is what distinguishes man from animals.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to a Unitarian woman on ship, spoken on board the SS Cedric at sea, 1912-Mar-26 -- ABU2593)
03
A man can hate more terribly than an animal. Man can be more cruel than an animal, and all the baser qualities or passions are intensified if present in the human family.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Mr and Mrs Hannen, spoken on 1909-Feb-23 -- ABU2609)
04
This signifies that man has the power of being infinitely more degraded than the other three kingdoms and can do more harm. In the lowest of the three, ferocious animals exist, but after all they can only kill one creature at a time, but when man is bent on destruction, he can by his inventions destroy thousands at the same moment.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to E.J. Rosenberg et al, spoken around Feb. 1901 -- ABU1314)
05
The incomparable Creator hath created all men from one same substance, and hath exalted their reality above the rest of His creatures. Success or failure, gain or loss, must, therefore, depend upon man's own exertions. The more he striveth, the greater will be his progress.
Man has been and continues to be among the greatest signs of God, and has come from the realm of non-existence into the court of existence for the knowledge and betterment of the world.
O ye young Baha'i children, ye seekers after true understanding and knowledge! A human being is distinguished from an animal in a number of ways. First of all, he is made in the image of God, in the likeness of the Supernal Light, even as the Torah saith, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.' This divine image betokeneth all the qualities of perfection whose lights, emanating from the Sun of Truth, illumine the realities of men.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Jan-22, to Taid School of Hamadan -- AB06380)
08
It is clearly evident that while man possesses powers in common with the animal, he is distinguished from the animal by intellectual attainment, spiritual perception, the acquisition of virtues, capacity to receive the bestowals of Divinity, lordly bounty and emanations of heavenly mercy. This is the adornment of man, his honor and sublimity.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Woolson home on 1912-Sep-20 -- ABU0109)
09
Man is the most distinguished species in that he combines the perfections of all three classes--that is, he possesses a material body, the power of growth, and the power of sensation. Beyond the mineral, vegetable and animal perfections, however, he also possesses a special perfection of which other created things are bereft, namely, the perfections of the mind. Thus man is the noblest of all existing things.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 64, The Station of Man and His Progress after Death, 1904 ca. -- AB00420)
10
Hence God has created man as the sum of all realities. For instance, the degrees of existence are either mineral, vegetable, or animal, and man is the distinguished species that combines the perfections of the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms. … Thus in man there exists a comprehensiveness--that is, he combines all the perfections of the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Address at Theosophical Society of Paris, 1911-Dec-06 [sic] -- ABU0031)
11
In the human degree, the mineral perfection exists, the vegetable perfection exists, the animal perfection exists, and beyond these, mental perfection exists which discovers the realities of things and comprehends universals.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Jul-20, to John Wolcott -- AB01382)
12
The human kingdom is replete with the perfections of all the kingdoms below it with the addition of powers peculiar to man alone.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Address to NAACP convention, Handel Hall in Chicago, 1912-Apr-30 -- ABU0573)
13
Like the animal, man possesses the faculties of the senses, is subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc.; unlike the animal, man has a rational soul, the human intelligence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Nov-17 in Paris -- ABU0577)
14
Man is like the animal in physical structure but otherwise immeasurably separated and superior.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Hull House on 1912-Apr-30 -- ABU0627)
15
The physical body of man is like that of the animal, the only difference being on the level of consciousness.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in May 1911 in Ramleh -- ABU2186)
16
Although man shares the same outward powers and senses in common with the animal, there exists in him an extraordinary power of which the animal is deprived.
… It is clear then that if man did not possess a power beyond the animal powers, the animal would perforce surpass man in significant discoveries and in the comprehension of realities. It follows from this argument that man is endowed with a gift, and possesses a perfection, which is not present in the animal.
Moreover, the animal perceives sensible things but cannot perceive conceptual realities.
… It is therefore clearly established that man is endowed with a power of discovery that distinguishes him from the animal, and this power is none but the human spirit.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 48, The Difference between Man and Animal, 1904-Oct ca. -- AB00057)
17
The animal is the captive of nature and cannot transgress the rules and laws thereof. In man, however, there is a discovering power that transcendeth the world of nature and controlleth and interfereth with the laws thereof. … In like manner all other beings, whether of the mineral, the vegetable or the animal world, cannot deviate from the laws of nature, nay, all are the slaves thereof. Man, however, though in body the captive of nature is yet free in his mind and soul, and hath the mastery over nature.
… Relatively to the plant, the reality of man, his power of hearing and sight, are all supernatural, and for the plant to comprehend that reality and the nature of the powers of man's mind is impossible.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Dr Forel (Tablet to Dr Forel), 1921-Sep-21, to Auguste Forel -- AB00020)
18
Perceiving and reflecting upon visible things, he realizes the reality of unknown things. When a man gazes at the earth he sees it as if it were level, but by his perception he finds that it is a globe. This power of perception can never be found in the animal kingdom; but man by this power can prove that the sun is a center and that the globe and other bodies revolve around it.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to George Winterburn et al, spoken on 1904-Feb-08 -- ABU0667)
19
Man, in this station, is endowed with the power of speech, but man can comprehend most important things, while animals cannot. It is impossible for an animal to know whether the earth is a sphere or a plane, while man can know. It is impossible for an animal to know that the sun is the center around which the earth rotates, because an animal can only know things which can be seen or felt, but man can also understand what he senses by the intellect.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in Dec. 1900 -- ABU0960)
20
Animals have sensations; they have the five physical senses and perceive those things which affect the senses. Man also, like animals, having the five senses, perceives the things which affect them; but, further, he possesses a spiritual power, in its nature original and essential, which encompasses the reality of all things and by which he perceives things which do not affect the senses.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Myron Phelps and Madame Canavarro in Dec. 1902 -- ABU0780)
21
This human body is purely animal in type and, like the animal, it is subject only to the grosser sensibilities. It is utterly bereft of ideation or intellection, utterly incapable of the processes of reason.
Hence, we know that in the human organism there is a center of intellection, a power of intellectual operation which is the discoverer of the realities of things.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Parsons home on 1912-Nov-09 -- ABU0138)
22
The station of man is great, very great. God has created man after His own image and likeness. He has endowed him with a mighty power which is capable of discovering the mysteries of phenomena. Through its use man is able to arrive at ideal conclusions instead of being restricted to the mere plane of sense impressions. As he possesses sense endowment in common with the animals, it is evident that he is distinguished above them by his conscious power of penetrating abstract realities. … Verily, God has created the animal in the image and likeness of man, for though man outwardly is human, yet in nature he possesses animal tendencies.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given on 1912-Aug-17 -- ABU0572)
23
For this reason we say that the spirit of man can penetrate and discover the realities of all things, can solve the secrets and mysteries of all created objects.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given on 1912-Aug-17 -- ABU0825)
24
Man has a sacred power beyond the confines of the senses. The power of the rational mind is the power of the soul over the senses. This cycle is radiating love and the bestowals of God are descending like unto rain. Man's glory lies in the difference between him and the animals. In Persia a small child who has been taught to think universally can talk with the learned.
Man is endowed with ideal virtues -- for example, intellection, volition, faith, confession and acknowledgment of God -- while nature is devoid of all these. The ideal faculties of man, including the capacity for scientific acquisition, are beyond nature's ken. These are powers whereby man is differentiated and distinguished from all other forms of life. This is the bestowal of divine idealism, the crown adorning human heads.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Bethel Literary Society on 1912-Apr-23 -- ABU0157)
26
God has created all earthly things under a law of progression in material degrees, but He has created man and endowed him with powers of advancement toward spiritual and transcendental kingdoms. He has not created material phenomena after His own image and likeness, but He has created man after that image and with potential power to attain that likeness. He has distinguished man above all other created things. All created things except man are captives of nature and the sense world, but in man there has been created an ideal power by which he may perceive intellectual or spiritual realities.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Maxwell home on 1912-Sep-02 -- ABU0100)
27
O God! O Thou Who hast shone upon luminous realities with the dawning of knowledge and guidance, distinguishing them from all other created things through this supreme gift, and making them encompass all things - perceiving the realities of beings and bringing forth hidden mysteries from the realm of the unseen into the world of effects, singling out whom Thou pleasest with Thy mercy!
… Among all created things, He has distinguished humanity with the supreme gift and blessed it with the bounty of the Concourse on High. This supreme gift is the greatest guidance, whereby human reality becomes the niche of this lamp.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-May-21, to Spiritual Assembly of Tihran et al -- AB00787)
28
Though all created things universally reflect the signs of God, it is man alone who hath been distinguished and honored with the glory of divine favors and the gift of universal bounties.
If man had not been put upon this earth the world would be dead. I do not speak of the physical man, but the human attainments which are the adornment of existence. If man did not exist, this world would have no beauty, no eternity, no object.
Man is able to resist and oppose nature inasmuch as he discovers the natures of things and, by virtue of this discovery, has mastery over nature itself. Indeed, all the crafts that man has devised proceed from this discovery. For example, he has invented the telegraph, which connects the East and the West. It is therefore evident that man rules over nature.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 1, Nature is Governed by a Universal Law, 1904-Jun ca. -- AB01029)
32
The great bulky elephant with its massive strength has no power to disobey the restrictions nature has laid upon him; but man, weak and diminutive in comparison, empowered by mind which is an effulgence of Divinity itself, can resist nature's control and apply natural laws to his own uses.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address at Stanford University on 1912-Oct-08 -- ABU0008)
33
Materially, man is the prisoner of nature; the least wind disturbs him, the cold hurts him, the heat incommodes him, a mosquito irritates him; but when we consider the intelligence of man, an elephant is powerless before him, a lion is his prisoner, and a boy of twelve can lead twelve hundred animals. … These are the signs of the crowning spiritual power of man, -- that power which can make nature his prisoner.
For man alone of all the animals is not governed by the conditions in which he finds himself. He has no wings, but he does not submit himself to this fact; he makes wings and conquers the air. He has no fins, but he conquers the sea. He conquers the night by creating for himself light; the cold by making heat; his limited senses by supplementing and extending them. He assails Heaven itself that he may rise to God, his Father and Creator.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken ca. Sep. 1911 in London -- ABU1355)
35
However, although humans may not have a full share and abundant portion of these natural gifts, in the divine world they are the manifestation of endless favors, the niche of the light of reality, the bright mirror of divine beauty, the manifestation of heavenly gifts, the dawning-place of divine lights, and possess a sacred power that encompasses all created things. This is why they discover the realities of things, exercise dominion over nature, bring forth nature's mysteries from the realm of the invisible to the visible, break nature's might, destroy nature's law, disrupt nature's system - sometimes soaring through the air, sometimes racing across the surface of the sea, sometimes riding beneath the sea.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1913-Jul-05, to Paul, Graham Secretary of the Theosophical Society -- AB00519)
36
Man is superior to nature and makes nature do his bidding. Man is a sensitive being; nature is without sensation. Man has memory and reason; nature lacks them. Man is nobler than nature. There are powers within him of which nature is devoid.
It may be claimed that these powers are from nature itself and that man is a part of nature. In answer to this statement we will say that if nature is the whole and man is a part of that whole, how could it be possible for a part to possess qualities and virtues which are absent in the whole?
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Columbia University on 1912-Apr-19 -- ABU0145)
37
All live within the bounds of natural law, and nature is the ruler of all except man. Man is not the captive of nature, for although according to natural law he is a being of the earth, yet he guides ships over the ocean, flies through the air in airplanes, descends in submarines; therefore, he has overcome natural law and made it subservient to his wishes.
… The truth is that God has given to man certain powers which are supernatural.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at the Mills home on 1912-Apr-13 -- ABU0405)
38
Man is possessed of the emanations of consciousness; he has perception, ideality and is capable of discovering the mysteries of the universe. … But man wrests the sword of dominion from nature's hand and uses it upon nature's head. … Man transcends nature, while the mineral, vegetable and animal are helplessly subject to it. This can be done only through the power of the spirit, because the spirit is the reality.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Theosophical Society on 1912-Jul-24 -- ABU0096)
39
Therefore, these powers are peculiar to man, and it is made evident that in the human kingdom there is a reality of which the animal is lacking. … Although he possesses all the virtues of the lower kingdoms, he is further endowed with the spiritual faculty, the heavenly gift of consciousness.
All material phenomena are subject to nature. … All things are captives of nature except man. … How does he accomplish it? Through a spirit with which God has endowed him at creation.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given on 1912-Aug-16 -- ABU0004)
40
Man possesses certain virtues of which nature is deprived.
Man is intelligent, instinctively and consciously intelligent; nature is not. Man is fortified with memory; nature does not possess it. Man is the discoverer of the mysteries of nature; nature is not conscious of those mysteries herself. It is evident, therefore, that man is dual in aspect: as an animal he is subject to nature, but in his spiritual or conscious being he transcends the world of material existence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Plaza Hotel on 1912-May-02 -- ABU0122)
41
The animal cannot escape the law of nature, whereas man may control it, for he, containing nature, can rise above it.
The power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening man's intelligence, has enabled him to discover means of bending many natural laws to his will.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Oct-24 in Paris -- ABU0281)
42
Likewise the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the life of man; without the Holy Spirit he would have no intellect, he would be unable to acquire his scientific knowledge by which his great influence over the rest of creation is gained. The illumination of the Holy Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables him to make discoveries by which he bends the laws of nature to his will.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Oct-31 in Paris -- ABU0773)
43
Therefore, humans break nature's rules and laws, and command nature.
From what has humanity obtained this excellence? It has been obtained from knowledge. Thus it is clear that knowledge is the greatest of human virtues. Breaking habits and violating nature's laws is specific to knowledge.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Oct-26 in Paris -- ABU0439)
44
All creation is made subject to the laws of nature, but man has been able to conquer these laws.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Paster Wagner's church in Paris, 1911-Nov-26 -- ABU0502)
45
On all sides he is surrounded by dangers and difficulties, against which his physical body alone cannot cope. If a man looks at the world around him, he will see how all created things are dependent and are captive to the laws of Nature.
Man alone, by his spiritual power, has been able to free himself, to soar above the world of matter and to make it his servant.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Oct-19 in Paris -- ABU0899)
46
Man is distinguished from all created things; nature - all things are its captive. The sun, for all its greatness, is its captive. But man, whose body is so small, God hath created within him a sacred power that can break the laws of nature.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1916-Jul-13 in Haifa -- ABU0675)
47
Man is of a station far more exalted, a sovereignty more firm, and a proof more glorious than nature, to which God has given no authority.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1912 ca., to Aqa Mirza Qurban-Ali -- AB00102)
48
It is only through the display of the spiritual will-power that man is distinguished above the animals. All the sciences and inventions, all the colossal undertakings and great achievements have been brought into being through the exercise of will-power in the properly-directed channels.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Mrs Moore, spoken at Baltimore Hotel on 1913-May-18 -- ABU0303)
49
In brief, the traces of reason are manifest and resplendent in man, and man is man by virtue of this rational power. Thus the animal world is other than the human world.
… The proof is that man, in the embryonic state, is worm-like; afterward he passes from form to form until he assumes this present shape. Yet when he was worm-like, he was still man; his species had remained preserved. This very link which they say is missing is the proof that man was never an animal.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address to Naturalist Association of San Francisco, spoken at Open Forum on 1912-Oct-10 -- ABU0029)
50
But some of the philosophers of Europe think that one species evolves into another species. For example, that the animal evolved until it became a human being. … Nay, rather evolution and growth take place within the same species. For instance, the seed of man gradually develops, passing through the stages of embryo, fetus, infant, childhood, and adolescence until mental maturity is attained. All the while it has progressed within the same species.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Commentary on passages from the Tablet of Wisdom, 1910-Apr-14, to Ali Akbar Quchani -- AB00373)
51
But from the beginning of his existence man has been a distinct species. This is similar to the embryo of man in the womb of the mother: it possesses at first a strange appearance; then this body passes from shape to shape and from form to form until it appears in the utmost beauty and perfection. But even when it possesses in the womb of the mother a strange form entirely different from its present shape and appearance, it is the embryo of a distinct species and not of an animal: the essence of the species and the innate reality undergo no transformation at all.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 47, The Evolution of the Universe and the Origin of Man, 1904-Oct ca. -- AB00077)
52
The first answer to this argument is that the antecedence of animals to man is not a proof that the essence of the human species was altered or transformed or that man came from the animal kingdom. For so long as it is acknowledged that these different beings have appeared in time, it is possible that man simply came into existence after the animal.
… To summarize: Just as man progresses, evolves, and is transformed from one form and appearance to another in the womb of the mother, while remaining from the beginning a human embryo, so too has man remained a distinct essence--that is, the human species--from the beginning of his formation in the matrix of the world and has passed gradually from form to form. It follows that this change of appearance, this evolution of organs, and this growth and development do not preclude the originality of the species.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 49, The Evolution of Species, 1904 ca. -- AB00167)
53
Similarly, the terrestrial globe was created, from the beginning, with all its elements, substances, minerals, parts, and components, but these appeared only gradually: first the minerals, then the plants, then the animals, and finally man. But from the beginning, these kinds and species were latent in the earthly realm and appeared gradually thereafter. For the supreme law of God and the universal natural order encompasses all things and subjects them to its rule. When you consider this universal order, you see that not a single thing reaches the limit of perfection immediately upon coming into existence, but grows and develops gradually until it reaches that stage.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 51, The Appearance of the Spirit and the Mind in Man, 1904-Oct ca. -- AB00722)
54
In the world of existence man has traversed successive degrees until he has attained the human kingdom. In each degree of his progression he has developed capacity for advancement to the next station and condition. While in the kingdom of the mineral he was attaining the capacity for promotion into the degree of the vegetable. In the kingdom of the vegetable he underwent preparation for the world of the animal, and from thence he has come onward to the human degree, or kingdom. Throughout this journey of progression he has ever and always been potentially man.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at 309 W 78th St on 1912-Jul-06 -- ABU0112)
55
So if we were to imagine a time when man belonged to the animal kingdom, that is, when he was merely an animal, existence would have been imperfect. This means that there would have been no man, and this chief member, which in the body of the world is like the mind and the brain in a human being, would have been lacking, and the world would thus have been utterly imperfect.
… Now, what we mean by "man" is the complete human being, the foremost person in the world, who is the sum of all spiritual and material perfections, and who is like the sun among all created things.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 46, Transformation of Species, 1904-Jun ca. -- AB00278)
56
For we established the existence of God through rational arguments, and it was likewise established through rational arguments that man has been man from his very inception and origin and that the essence of his species has existed from eternity.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 50, Spiritual Proofs of the Origin of Man, 1904-Oct ca. -- AB00440)
57
The specificity and essentiality of things are permanent and changeless; only within the limits of a particular species do progress and decline occur. For example, the human species and human nature have been and will forever remain preserved and protected. As can be observed, the mummified ancient human bodies that have been extracted from the pyramids of Egypt, though five thousand years have passed since their death, have not changed or altered even by a hair's breadth from the human form. Likewise the images of animals that exist in Akhmim, Egypt are exactly like existing animals - a monkey is a monkey with that ugly appearance, a human is human with that beautiful, pleasing countenance. There is no altering in God's creation.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1902 or <, to Usku'i, Haydar Ali (Son of Karbala'i Hasan of Matanih) -- AB02206)
58
His species is eternal, and this everlasting reality has neither beginning nor end. What Western philosophers say about human evolution - that man has come from the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms and reached this station through growth and development - is mere fancy, for the human species is ancient. Perhaps on this earth it was initially like a seed, then progressed and reached the station of "the best of creators." But that seed which gradually developed was the human species, not animal. Therefore this species is ancient and was originally the noblest of earthly creatures.
With respect to the species, however, return and recurrence are plainly visible in material realities; that is, the trees which in years past bore leaves, blossoms and fruits will in the years to come bear the same leaves, blossoms and fruits. This is called recurrence of species.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 81, Reincarnation, 1904 ca. -- AB00036)
60
And they consider man to be a distinct species of this genus.
In any case, man, who is the distinct species, is the manifestation of "Blessed be God, the best of creators" and is the mirror reflecting the Sun of Reality with manifest light.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1909-Jun-20, to Aqa Habibullah Ganjihi -- AB05613)
61
As to the question of humanity's progress to higher degrees, know that souls are like stones and fruits. Precious gems cannot be compared to ordinary stones, and likewise, good fruits cannot be compared to other fruits. The Prophets are like gems that are distinguished in their very essence, while other people are like ordinary stones. Therefore, no matter how much ordinary stones may progress and ascend, they will never reach the station of precious gems, for it is beyond their capacity and potential.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Oct-22, to Ella G Cooper -- AB04427)
62
Material scientists endeavor to show the evolution of the species man from the monkey. The Prophets of God have been occupied in explaining that man has descended from the Divine Spirit.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in 1912 in the United States -- ABU2804)
63
But man's ambition should soar above this -- he should ever look higher than himself, ever upward and onward, until through the Mercy of God he may come to the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, there are men whose eyes are only open to physical progress and to the evolution in the world of matter. These men prefer to study the resemblance between their own physical body and that of the ape, rather than to contemplate the glorious affiliation between their spirit and that of God. This is indeed strange, for it is only physically that man resembles the lower creation, with regard to his intellect he is totally unlike it.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Nov-06 in Paris -- ABU0555)
64
The animal spirit is that all-embracing sensory power which is realized through the composition and combination of the elements. When this composition disintegrates, that spirit likewise perishes and becomes non-existent. It may be likened to this lamp: When oil, wick, and flame are brought together and combined, it is lit; and when this combination disintegrates---that is, when the constituent parts are separated from one another---the lamp also is extinguished.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 55, Soul, Spirit, and Mind, 1904 ca. -- AB02018)
65
For instance, the spirits of the birds cannot comprehend anything of reality, and cannot realize spiritual things. They cannot think about knowledge. The spirit of the animal can only feel and sense things, but realize nothing about the spiritual. They are simply the results of the combination of the elements, and when they die nothing remains of them.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Breakwell, Hopper, Brittingham, spoken around 1901-Sep-04 -- ABU1316)
66
The superiority of man over the rest of the created world is seen again in this, that man has a soul in which dwells the divine spirit; the souls of the lower creatures are inferior in their essence.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Dreyfus home in Paris, 1911-Oct-20 -- ABU0061)
67
Humans outwardly resemble animals - the difference between humans and animals is that humans possess spiritual powers while animals are deprived of them. Humans are aware of God while animals are unaware.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Sanderson home in Paris, 1911-Oct-15 -- ABU0690)
68
What difference is there between the animal and man? The difference is this: that the animal is not capable of apprehending the divine teachings, whereas man is worthy of them and possesses the capacity to understand.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Address to the Baha'is at Parsons home in Washington, 1912-Apr-25 -- ABU0233)
69
Q: What difference is there between the animal and man?
A: The difference between animal and man is this,- That the animal cannot comprehend the teachings of God. The animal does not progress. But these teachings are specialized for man...
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken ca. 1912-Apr-25 in Washington, DC -- ABU1933)
The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.
70
Is the animal's inability to perceive the existence of human intellect or perfections sufficient grounds on which to reject them as falsehoods?
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-Apr-13 in Budapest -- ABU3717)
71
All the animals do not perceive another world outside the world of matter and nature. In this case, each of them is a philosopher of nature, as they do not sense anything outside of nature. Is this proof of the intelligence of the animal, of its awareness and perception, or is it evidence of the insufficiency of its senses and perception and its lack of apprehension?
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Grand Hotel in Cincinnati, 1912-Nov-04 -- ABU0255)
72
If inability to sense constitutes proof of perfection, the cow must be the greatest philosopher, for she does not realize anything beyond the animal world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the Baha'is, spoken on 1912-Aug-05 -- ABU3156)
73
From this standpoint of knowing the greatest Plato is the cow, and the donkey is an arch philosopher. In the great university of nature, where nothing beyond the pale of sensibilities is classified as knowledge, the animal is a graduate and the human materialist but an under-graduate.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in 1912 in the United States -- ABU2865)
74
Whilst in reality this condition of life belongs to the animal kingdom - the animals in this world of materialism - and does not know anything other than matter, (nature); therefore if the glorification and worship of nature, as believed by some of our contemporaneous thinkers is a great virtue, then the animal is the most virtuous. The cow is entirely out of touch with the realm of God and is not cognizant of the spiritual life.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at East Putney in London, 1912-Dec-29 -- ABU0116)
75
If we admit that being limited to the plane of the senses is a virtue, the animal is indeed more virtuous than man, for it is entirely bereft of that which lies beyond, absolutely oblivious of the Kingdom of God and its traces, whereas God has deposited within the human creature an illimitable power by which he can rule the world of nature.
… Altogether it is evident that man is more noble and superior, that in him there is an ideal power surpassing nature.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given in Baptist Temple on 1912-Jun-08 -- ABU0007)
76
We must not look at the worldly condition, but at the truth in it--the divine truth--because if we look only at the outward form of man, how can we distinguish him from the animal, because we find them eating and doing the same things; but when we give attention to the spirit in man, we find it is far different from the animal. When you look at water, salt and sweet, you cannot tell the difference, but when you taste the water, you can distinguish.
If the aim were this physical life only, then this creation would be in vain and men would not have more honor or be nobler than other creatures.
The greatest of sensual pleasures, beauty of appearance and freedom are found among the animals. Birds excel all in sensual pleasures, for they build nests on the loftiest branches and breathe the purest air. … They have no grief, regrets, aspirations, ambitions, quarrels, contentions, wars or massacres.
If the purpose of existence is sensual life and pleasures, then animal and man are equal. Happiness and pleasure are rather the possession of the bird and not those of distressed and sorrowful men.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given on 1912-Oct-02 -- ABU1611)
78
The life of animals is more simple than that of man. Animals have all their needs supplied for them. All the grasses of the meadows are free to them. The birds build their nests in the branching trees and the palaces of kings are no so beautiful. If earthly needs are all then the animals are better supplied than man.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1912-Aug-20 in Green Acre -- ABU0162)
79
And secondly, if the human world were to have only outward perfections and physical comfort as its result, then every flock of birds and every beehive possesses these perfections and results.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1913-May-03 at Baltimore Hotel in Paris -- ABU2168)
80
But on the other hand, take the example of the honey-bee. The bee is an independent, self-sufficient member of the bee-community. In itself, it is the source of supply and demand. It gives the sweet honey and it does not require anything in turn. Similarly the little ant is an individualist and can live and support itself without the assistance of others. From this standpoint the bee and the ant must be then very happy and enjoy all the privileges of greatness, because they are self-satisfied. However, the glory of man is not in these things. Man becomes man through ideal virtues, through the excellence of the world of humanity, through intellectual superiority, through the Knowledge of God and the illumination of his heart! If he is imbued with these qualities, he is man, otherwise he is lower than the animal.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to H.E. Warmeke, spoken en route in train on 1913-May-01 -- ABU0866)
81
What are the animals' propensities? To eat, drink, wander about and sleep. The thoughts, the minds of the animals are confined to these. They are captives in the bonds of these desires. Man becomes a prisoner and slave to them when his ultimate desire is no higher than his welfare in this world of the senses.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at 309 W 78th St on 1912-Jun-11 -- ABU0294)
82
Some are of a material inclination, enslaved to the world of nature. Their highest aspiration is to make progress in the material world in doing this they follow the example of other animals which are also enslaved by the world of nature, the only difference being that the natural characteristics of man are slightly more honourable than those of other creatures.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1908-Nov-04, to Walters Goodyear -- AB04410)
83
Like the animals they walk on the surface of the earth and would not allow their minds to be illumined by the eternal verities of the universe. What they have - though infinitesimally small - pleases and satisfies them. They seek no further and go not beyond the questions of bread and meat.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to some friends, spoken on 1915-Mar-15 -- ABU0863)
84
Man must so adorn himself with good attributes, attractions and divine characteristics that he may become the cause of the illumination of the world of humanity; otherwise his life will be a burden on him.
What difference will there be between him and the animals, who are born, live, eat and die!
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to some Arab Baha'is, spoken on board the SS Baron Call at sea, 1913-Dec-03 -- ABU2851)
85
And man, except he is taught by an educator, is absolutely savage, because we distinguish between man and animal by the education which man gets, but of which the animal is bereft.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to Alma Albertson et al, spoken on 1900-Dec-02 -- ABU0272)
86
What is the distinction between man and animal - wherein lies the difference? It is in reason, knowledge and learning. Ignorant peoples and nations are lower than animals.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken ca. Jan. 1909 -- ABU0949)
87
Therefore man must strive to acquire the virtues and qualities of the Kingdom in order to attain perfection. Otherwise he remains like the animal. In fact, the animal is nobler, because not being endowed with reason and capacity its lack of spiritual development is excusable. But since man has been given the divine bestowal of the mind he must therefore ever acquire virtues, for without the divine attributes he may become lower than the animal.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1912-Oct-25 in Sacramento -- ABU0751)
88
For example he knows that drinking is a bad habit, gambling is a vice, robbery is a crime, still you find him committing one or all of these things - simply because these things belong to the natural, unregenerated state, they are 'part' of nature and as he is another 'part' of nature - (but unenlightened by the heavenly Light) he is attracted to them and takes pleasure in the companionship of the wicked. Under such circumstances the animal's actions are excusable because he is not endowed with the intelligent Faculty but man is responsible on account of his superior creation and reasonable powers.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to some friends, spoken on 1914-Dec-04 -- ABU0999)
89
But man, who is the noblest of beings possessed of spirit, moving with will and endowed with reason and intelligence, must therefore excel all created things in every perfection. And if he is deprived of this bounty, he becomes utterly reprehensible and blameworthy, and the worst kind of animal - "these are like cattle, nay, rather they have gone more astray."
Nature is ignorant while man is conscious; nature is heedless, man is rational. … In the world of nature exist all vices, and in the human world all virtues. If vices appear in a soul, they spring from the requirements of the world of nature, not from the requirements of the human world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1916-Aug-17 in Haifa -- ABU1170)
91
Not everyone who has the form of a human being is worthy of the Most Great Panorama, nor will such a one necessarily be accounted a human being before God. For all who remain bereft of the robe of mystical insight are reckoned as beasts of the field by God.
The All-loving God created man to radiate the Divine light and to illumine the world by his words, action and life. If he is without virtue he becomes no better than a mere animal, and an animal devoid of intelligence is a vile thing.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1911-Nov-23 in Paris -- ABU0665)
93
Man must always strive to have his spirit overcome his body. When his spirit overcomes his body, the second birth takes place and he becomes freed from imperfections. He becomes filled with virtues. He becomes nearer the Divine and follows the Divine teachings. He becomes like a lighted candle. This is the reality of the subject. But when he is immersed in the world of nature he is like an animal, a fierce animal.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1920-Sep-07 -- ABU1725)
94
The guidance of God, the bounty of the Kingdom, the life everlasting, the bounty of the Holy Spirit, are special bestowals to man. These are the greatest attainment of the human world. Man is specially chosen to receive good gifts of God. If he be not mindful, then the status of the animal is superior.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on 1912-Oct-25 in Sacramento -- ABU1020)
95
Therefore the happiness of man and the eternal prosperity of the people lie in the Knowledge of God, the Love of God, the virtue of the world of humanity and the ideal perfections. If man obtains this virtue, he is superior to the animals; otherwise he is inferior to them.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the friends, spoken at Baltimore Hotel on 1913-May-03 -- ABU0216)
96
In comparison with man the perfection of a flower is insignificant. Yet if man remain content in an undeveloped state viewed from the point of capacity he is the lowest of creatures.
… If love did not exist, what of reality would remain? It is the fire of the love of God which renders man superior to the animal. Strengthen this superior force through which is attained all the progress in the world.
One's heart must be alive, one's spirit joyful, and one's understanding expansive - otherwise one is like an animal, or even more base than that.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken on board the SS Celtic at sea, 1912-Dec-05 -- ABU1666)
98
But you, who are human and endowed with recognition, beseech God that in this garden you may be a laughing hundred-petaled rose rather than mere herb, basil and thyme; not a worthless weed but an intoxicated violet; not a bitter, despised chicory.
Gracious God! The animal, notwithstanding that it is a captive of nature and nature completely dominateth it, attacheth no importance to colour. For instance, thou dost behold that the black, white, yellow, blue and other coloured pigeons are in utmost harmony with one another. They never give importance to colour. Likewise sheep and the beasts, despite differences in colour, are in utmost love and unity.
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100
If the human body (haykal) was originally not in its present composition, but was gradually transferred from one stage to another until it appeared in its present form [as the philosophers of the West say], then we would postulate that although at one time it was a swimmer and later a crawler, still it was human, and its species has remained unchanged.
PUP.359, KHT2.304 (Revised translation in Brown (2001), 98)
Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.
102
The forms assumed by the human embryo in its successive changes do not prove that it is animal in its essential character. Throughout this progression there has been a transference of type, a conservation of species or kind. Realizing this we may acknowledge the fact that at one time man was an inmate of the sea, at another period an invertebrate, then a vertebrate and finally a human being standing erect. Though we admit these changes, we cannot say man is an animal. In each one of these stages are signs and evidences of his human existence and destination.... in the protoplasm, man is man. Conservation of species demands it.
PUP.359 (Last two sentences are not found in KHT2.304, and may be a later addition)
Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.
103
Man, as a distinct species, has been specifically and for the first time, asserted by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His "Some Answered Questions".
(30 Jul. 1941, to a Committee of a National Spiritual Assembly)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
104
We cannot prove that man was always man for this is a fundamental doctrine, but it is based on the assertion that nothing can exceed its own potentialities, that everything, a stone, a tree, an animal and a human being existed in plan, potentially, from the very 'beginning' of creation. We don't believe man has always had the form of man, but rather that from the outset he was going to evolve into the human form and species and not be a haphazard branch of the ape family.
(7 Jun. 1946 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in Arohanui, p. 85)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
105
...the world of humanity is distinct from the animal kingdom. This is the teaching of the philosophers of the Orient. They have a proof for it. The proof is that the animals are captives of nature.... But man breaks the laws of nature and makes them subservient to his uses.... in man there is present this supernatural force or faculty which discovers the realities of things and which possesses the power of idealization or intellection.
Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.
106
When 'Abdu'l-Baha says man breaks the laws of nature, He means we shape nature to meet our own ends, as no animal does. Animals adapt themselves to better fit in with and benefit from their environment. But men both surmount and change environment.
(7 Jun. 1946 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, in Arohanui, p. 85)
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
107
By nature's law, humans dwell upon the earth, yet through spiritual power they break these firm laws of nature and wrest the sword from nature's hand to strike nature's crown. They soar in the air, race upon the sea's surface, and journey beneath the waters. Humans are discoverers of nature's mysteries, while nature discovers not human mysteries. … Humans have free will, nature is compelled. Humans have consciousness, nature lacks consciousness. Humans are living, nature lacks life. Humans discover future matters, nature is heedless of them. Through known premises, humans discover unknown conclusions, while nature is powerless to do so.
...man's intelligence has been enabled to free him from the limitations of nature, and to solve many of her mysteries. Man, to a certain extent, has broken the chains of matter. The Holy Spirit will give to man greater powers than these, if only he will strive after the things of the spirit and endeavour to attune his heart to the Divine infinite love.
PT#09:20 p038
Supplied quotation · catalogue passage not verified
Sentence boundary needs source review; the supplied wording is retained.
How does the opening emphasis on others’ comfort reshape the meaning of human distinction?
What connections do the readings draw among intellect, spiritual perception, and moral responsibility?
How can the same capacities produce discovery, service, or enlarged powers of destruction?
What becomes clearer when descriptions of spiritual purpose, philosophical classifications, and arguments about biological development are examined separately and then related?
How does Aristotle’s account of living powers compare with the classifications used here, and where do their aims differ?
How might reflection on human capacities deepen responsibility toward other people, animals, and the wider world?