"Man and mountain - said Shakespeare - are alike except that through its mountains the earth tries to rise to the sky, while through men the sky comes down to the earth.

A similar conception of human nature is asserted in a still more conspicuous way in the Bible, which claims that the first man was created by God himself in his own image. Aristotle then promoted the same interpretation in science and philosophy. He defined human species as social beings with conscious reason, capable of self-control and self-realization, in accordance with the leading principles of human destiny, that are Truth, Right and Beauty. In opposition to human beings were the animals, created to provide food and help, lacking consciousness. According to Descartes, they were mere machines, deprived of any possibility of decision about their own behavior. ..."