What a weak, credulous, incredulous, unbelieving, superstitious, bold, frightened, what a ridiculous world ours is, as far as concerns the mind of man. How full of inconsistencies, contradictions and absurdities it is. I declare that taking the average of many minds that have recently come before me... I should prefer the obedience, affections and instinct of a dog before it.

The Letters of Faraday and Schoenbein, 1810-1862 (ed. 1899)