''The Lowest Animal,'' also titled ''Man's Place in the Animal World'', is a philosophical essay written by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

in 1897 or 1905. Twain describes fictional experiments he did with animals in which they showed greater civility than humans. He uses satire in order to criticize humanity's continuous desire for power. The original source was prefaced by newspaper clippings which, apparently, dealt with religious persecutions in Crete. The clippings have been lost.https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/6368/The%20Lowest%20Animal%20-%20Twain.pdf

Summary

In the essay Twain satirizes human nature by describing a series of experiments he supposedly conducted at the London Zoological Gardens. Twain takes Darwin's evolution theory that humans evolved from earlier ancestors, or “lower animals,” and reverses it. He describes deeds done by powerful people against the helpless, and states the many ideas that made him ponder about the lack of humanity. He ends the essay with these words: "And it is full of a grim suggestion: that we are not as important, perhaps, as we had all along supposed we were."

References

Essays by Mark Twain Philosophy essays 1896 in the United States 1896 in literature {{philo-essay-stub