brute
noun
Brute — an animal stripped of reason, or a person accused of the same
Definition
A living organism characterized by voluntary movement
In depth
A brute is an animal considered specifically in contrast to rational, thinking beings — and by extension, a human being whose behavior seems to abandon reason for raw force or instinct. The word carries an almost philosophical charge, since to call something a brute is to invoke an entire tradition that separated reasoning humanity from unthinking nature.
Origin
The word comes from Latin brutus, heavy, dull, or unreasoning, the same root behind the Roman cognomen Brutus, originally meaning something close to 'the stupid one.' Its long philosophical career, distinguishing 'brute creation' from rational humanity, traces back through medieval scholasticism to Aristotle's hierarchy of souls, which placed reason as the unique possession of human beings.
Usage examples
"The medieval bestiary classified every brute according to the moral lesson its behavior was thought to teach."
"He fought like a brute, with no strategy, only force."
"The philosopher insisted that no brute, however clever, could be said to truly reason."
How to use it
Brute carries a sharper philosophical and moral edge than 'beast,' and writers most often reach for it to make a pointed claim about the absence of reason, whether in an animal or, more commonly, in a person whose conduct has fallen short of it.
Related concepts
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