I wag, therefore I am
In an extract from his new book, philosopher Mark Rowlands seeks canine counsel in answer to these eternal questions:
Finding meaning in life is hard for us, but easy for dogs. Meaning in life exists wherever the love of life emanates from a nature that is whole and undivided. Being undivided by reflection, being whole and entire, a dog has only one life to live, whereas we – in whom reflection’s canyon is deepest – have two. For us, there is both the life that we live and the life that we think about, scrutinise, evaluate and judge. A dog will inevitably love its one life more than we love our two lives. Meaning in life is easy for dogs – and hard for us – because meaning is simply the joyful expression of a nature undivided against itself. I have been fortunate enough to spend my life with many dogs. I have loved them all, but, perhaps more importantly, in them I glimpse, obscurely but resonantly, what it is to love life.
