“But if his eyes were broad as the lens of Hershel’s great telescope; and his ears capacious as the porches of hearing? Not at all.—Why then do you try to “enlarge” your mind? Subtilize it.” (Melville 362)

I was interested in this quote because it comes about as Ishmael is pondering on the discrepancy between the size of the whale and the size of its sensory organs and wonders if they may be superior to humans for these differences. This quote makes the question philosophical in its nature; Does size equate to intelligence? The whale is certainly large in its scale, yet all it requires are eyes the size of a horse’s and an ear so small as to be overlooked by a less discerning eye. The whale’s design makes it clear that making these organs longer does not guarantee they will be more efficient. In a similar way, having a broad knowledge does not amount to much if we do not understand how to apply it effectively or how to pay attention to detail. Ishmael makes the observation that unless someone like a whaler gets up close and personal with a whale’s head someone with less experience might never find the ear. That is how small it is. It is not enough to have seen a drawing of a whale, or to have read all the books on cetology if when you stand before it you are unable to perceive such an important part of their physiognomy. Time and time again in this book, Melville continues to remind the reader do away with our preconceived notions of what makes someone learned and to consider the importance of direct contact and direct action.