To Build A Fire Instinctual Knowledge Quotes

"Doubt is often better than overconfidence, for it leads to inquiry, and inquiry leads to invention" (Hudson Maxim). The meaning of this quote is straightforwardly explained. It discusses how being overconfident in situations can work against you. The story "To Build a Fire" truly demonstrates how overconfidence can be disastrous. The word doubt in this inspiring quote represents instinctual knowledge, and overconfidence represents the factor of scientific knowledge. Jack London, author of the story wrote this to show that applying scientific knowledge over instinctual knowledge can put oneself in a negative situation. In "To Build a Fire," written by Jack London, London argues about the dangers of applying scientific knowledge over instinctual

To begin with, Jack London argues about the dangers of using scientific knowledge over instinctual knowledge, as shown by the man’s ignorance of the dog’s instinctual knowledge. As the man walks along the trail lined with tall spruce trees, a big native husky trotted alongside him, depressed by the bitter cold: "The animal was depressed by the tremendous cold. “It knew that there was no time for traveling. "Its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgment" (London 9). This quote speaks to how the dog is smarter than the man in this situation. The dog uses his instinctual knowledge in this situation, while the man uses his scientific knowledge to make the decision to keep going through the freezing and hazardous weather. Once they approached a pool of water, the man forced the dog to go ahead even though the dog knew it was dangerous; "The dog did not want to go. "It hung back until the man shoved it forward, and then it went quickly across the white, unbroken surface" (London 10). In this situation, the man is just being outrageous

When the man was working to stay warm, he remembered the advice of the old-timer on Sulphur Creek; "The old-timer had been very serious in laying down the law that no man must travel alone in the Klondike after fifty below. Well, here he was; "he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself" (London 13). This quote speaks of the man not listening to the old man and doing his own thing. This is an example of the man following his scientific knowledge and being overconfident. When a man remembers the old man’s advice, he completely ignores it and says that the old man is womanish; "Those old-timers were rather womanish, some of them, he thought. All a man had to do was keep his head, and he was all right. "Any man who was a man could travel alone" (London 13). This is the man ignoring and calling the old man’s advice womanish. The old man is just going by his instinctual knowledge, while the man is going by his confidence with his scientific knowledge, which is not right. As the man understood that he was nearing his death, he realized that he should have listened to the old man; "He drifted on from this to a vision of the old-timer on Sulphur Creek. He could see him quite clearly, warm and comfortable, and smoking a pipe" (London 17). This is when the man finally realized that he