“For as the eyes of bats are to the blaze of day, so is the reason in our soul to the things which are by nature most evident of all.”
- 384 BC – 322 BC
- Originating from Macedonia in ancient Greece
- Philosopher and scientist, founder of the Lyceum academy
- A student of Plato, he constructed systematic knowledge in logic, biology, politics, ethics, etc., and had a major impact on the development of Western thought and science
Quote
“For as the eyes of bats are to the blaze of day, so is the reason in our soul to the things which are by nature most evident of all.”
Explanation
In this quote, Aristotle compares the reason within the human soul to the eyes of bats in daylight. Just as bats, which are adapted to the darkness, are ineffective and unable to see in bright daylight, so too is human reason often unable to perceive or understand the most obvious truths of nature. This suggests that our reasoning is sometimes limited or obscured, preventing us from grasping the truths that are most self-evident or apparent. Aristotle may be highlighting the limitations of human perception and intellect, indicating that while certain truths are obvious and apparent to the natural world, our ability to recognize them is clouded by ignorance, bias, or the constraints of our own understanding.
This idea is still relevant in modern discussions of cognitive bias and the limits of human understanding. Often, we fail to see or comprehend the simplest or most direct truths because our perspective is shaped by preconceived ideas, emotions, or intellectual blind spots. For example, in scientific or philosophical inquiry, human reason sometimes struggles to grasp what is plainly evident, simply because we are not trained to observe it with clarity or objectivity.
In everyday life, we may see this when people fail to recognize obvious truths about their own behavior or the behavior of others, often due to emotional or psychological barriers. Aristotle’s analogy reminds us that, just as bats are naturally adapted to the dark, humans may be cognitively or emotionally “adapted” to ignorance, limiting our ability to perceive the world as it truly is. The challenge, then, is to overcome these limitations and open our minds to the truths that are present but often difficult to recognize.
