All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight
we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are
loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight. For not
only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything,
we prefer seeing (one might say) to everything else. The reason is that
this, most of all the senses, makes us know and brings to light many
differences between things.
Aristotle Metaphysics Book I. Chapter 1. Opening lines
It is the
desire to know that sets us as
humans apart from the
animals. The quest for more than
basic food and survival is what makes us
human. While it is true that some
animals are
intelligent and can learn things, they do not have an
overwhelming desire to
learn new things. Nor do
animals make any attempt to express what they do
learn which in
humans takes the
form of
art