You never see animals going through the absurd and often horrible fooleries of magic and religion. Dogs do not ritually urinate in the hope of persuading heaven to do the same and send down rain. Asses do not bray a liturgy to cloudless skies. Nor do cats attempt, by abstinence from cat's meat, to wheedle the feline spirits into benevolence. Only man behaves with such gratuitous folly. It is the price he has to pay for being intelligent but not, as yet, quite intelligent enough.

Summary

This quote suggests that only humans engage in the irrational behaviors associated with magic and religion. Animals, like dogs, cats, and donkeys, do not perform rituals or engage in superstitious acts in order to get desired outcomes. The quote suggests that these behaviors are unnecessary and foolish, revealing the human tendency to exhibit irrationality despite their intelligence. This folly is seen as a consequence of human beings not having reached a level of intelligence that allows them to fully reject such irrational practices.

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