12.
Moreover, that very constitution of his own he only understands confusedly, cursorily, and darkly.
We also know that we possess souls, but we do not know the essence, the place, the quality, or the source, of the soul.
Such as is the consciousness of our souls which we possess, ignorant as we are of their nature and position, even so all animals possess a consciousness of their own constitutions.
For they must necessarily feel this, because it is the same agency by which they feel other things also; they must necessarily have a feeling of the principle which they obey and by which they are controlled.
Book: Moral Letters Vol III
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On instinct in animals
Location: Chapter 121, Section 12
Content:
12.
Moreover, that very constitution of his own he only understands confusedly, cursorily, and darkly.
We also know that we possess souls, but we do not know the essence, the place, the quality, or the source, of the soul.
Such as is the consciousness of our souls which we possess, ignorant as we are of their nature and position, even so all animals possess a consciousness of their own constitutions.
For they must necessarily feel this, because it is the same agency by which they feel other things also; they must necessarily have a feeling of the principle which they obey and by which they are controlled.