“When I play with my cat, who knows if she is not amusing herself more with me than I with her?”Michel de Montaigne · Eseuri · 1580 · II, 12
The relationship between human and animal is reciprocal, not hierarchical.
Montaigne questions human superiority over animals. The cat is not just a plaything; it has its own will and intention. He suggests reality is reciprocal: she plays with us, perhaps with even more pleasure. The example shows how easily we project a one-sided relationship when there is actually equal exchange.
Why it matters It teaches humility and respect for other beings, in a world where we often treat animals as tools. It opens our eyes to the complexity of interspecies relationships.