LIFECRAFT QUICKUTZ BIRD PATCH

Closer examination revealed a unique white stripe over the eye, accented by a black patch passing through the eye. Upon my pointing it out Raphael did not see the difference I had immediately noticed. But for some reason they do.Īs we watched I had an especially exciting moment as another bird came in that looked much like the nuthatch, but was clearly different. Raphael asked me, “Why do Nuthatches do that?” Good question, to which I do not know the answer. I remember well when I was young watching birds with my father how we noticed that the nuthatch perches and moves on a tree “upside down.” Here my son and I were observing the same thing. In addition to our regular Tufted Titmouses (Titmice?) and Downy Woodpeckers there was also a Nuthatch.

Motivated by interest, indeed love of birds, they learn to discriminate and to wonder at what they see.Ī few weeks ago my 5 year old son and I were watching birds coming to our simple front-porch feeder. In living creatures, especially animals, certain basic truths are particularly evident: such as the importance of natural kinds, and the order and purposiveness of the natural world.īird-watchers learn to notice sameness and difference. The bird-watcher, captivated by the beauty of these amazing creatures, learns to be an attentive observer of natural kinds and the differences between them. To grasp the essence of something is to grasp how at the same time it is similar to and also different from other things. I often tell my students that using the human mind is an exercise in seeing sameness and difference. There are of course different ways to dispose young minds for pursuing wisdom. Sometimes I am asked what I recommend to prepare young people for doing philosophy.

“Animals differ from one another in their modes of subsistence, in their actions, in their habits, and in their parts.”

Lifecraft quickutz bird