Donkeys between Declaring Humor and Hinting at the Idea (Digging into the Depths of Human Thought and Ideas)

Abstract

The donkey was and still is one of the pets that live with humans, it is considered one of the most patient and endurable animals, and man has always had help and support in moving and carrying weights, and for this close relationship with man, he became famous and he enjoyed a popularity that no one else had, despite being called stupid for these qualities. Philosophers and scientists made him a hero for their works, as did the writers who took him as a theme for their creations. Through his stupidity, they broadcast their wisdom, expressing their concerns and spreading their ideas behind his long ears. They make it seem like a subject of humor and laughter, and then pass through it their encrypted message to the readers, as was the case with Ibn al-Muqaffa in (Kalila and Dimna). And the variety of male donkeys, from mere invocation of him, to a short story, a play or a novel; From Tolstoy's donkey, to Jean Buridan's donkey, to Victor Hugo, Yahya Haqqi, Rida Houhou and Tawfiq al-Hakim. This research comes to clarify the role of the donkey in expressing serious and deep ideas, of various scholars, writers and philosophers, and placed in the form of humor and laughter in appearance.