A Mysterious Division of Animals: What’s Your Favorite Category?
Time for something completely different. This is a list that appears in an essay by Jorge Luis Borges, "The Analytical Language of John Wilkins," in Borges: Selected Non-Fictions.
I have no idea why I love this passage so much, but I do.
These ambiguities, redundancies and deficiencies recall those attributed by Dr. Franz Kuhn attributes to a certain Chinese encyclopedia entitled Heavenly Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge. In its distant pages it is written that animals are divided into: (a) those belonging to the emperor; (b) embalmed ones; (c) those that are trained; (d) suckling pigs; (e) mermaids; (f) fabulous ones; (g) stray dogs; (h) those that are included in this classification; (i) those that tremble as if they were mad; (j) innumerable ones; (k) those drawn with a very fine camel's-hair brush; (l) etcetera; (m) those that have just broken the watcher pitcher; (n) those that at a distance resemble flies.
How I love this list. My favorite: "those that are included in this classification." Also "mermaids." What do you think…do you find this list thought-provoking, intriguing, or nonsensical?
Thinking about this passage and this list is making me want to go re-read Borges. Where's my copy of Labyrinths?
Also ...
Want to see a copy of my Resolutions Chart, to help you think about your own happiness project? Request one here.