Anthropologist: After mapping the complete dominance hierarchy for a troupe of vervet monkeys by examining their pairwise interaction, we successfully predicted more complex forms of their group behavior by assuming that each monkey had knowledge of the complete hierarchy. βββββ βββ ββββββββββ βββ ββ βββββββββ ββ βββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββββββ ββ ββββ ββ βββββ ββ βββ ββ ββββ βββββ
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The anthropologist talks about a study where, after assuming vervet monkeys each had knowledge of their troupe's complete dominance hierarchy, the anthropologist and her colleagues were able to predict complex forms of those monkeys' group behavior. The anthropologist concludes that, since the prediction was so accurate, the assumption that led to that prediction must also be true: the vervet monkeys each knew about the complete dominance hierarchy.
The primatologist responds by claiming this conclusion doesn't follow. She uses an analogous argument: assuming that certain bank machines want to satisfy customer requests can lead to correct predictions of their output. By the anthropologist's logic, this means the machines actually have desires, which doesn't make sense.
The primatologist doesn't reject any of the contextual facts presented by the anthropologist. The primatologist doesn't even necessarily take a stand on whether the vervet monkeys did have knowledge of the dominance hierarchy or not. Whether that conclusion is itself correct or incorrect, the primatologist's concern is that it doesn't follow: she is concerned with the anthropologist's reasoning that if an assumption helped lead to highly accurate predictions, that assumption must be true. She shows the problems with this reasoning by making an analogous argument about bank cash machines, where the same reasoning leads to an absurd conclusion.
The primatologist uses which one ββ βββ βββββββββ βββββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββ ββββββββββ βββ ββββββββββββββββ βββββββββ
citing various facts ββββ βββββ βββ ββββββ ββ βββ ββββββββββββββββ ββββββββββ ββββ βββββββ
offering another argument ββββ βββ ββ βββ βββββββ βββ ββββββ ββ βββ ββββββ ββββ βββ ββββββββββββββ βββββββ
applying one of βββ ββββββββββββββββ βββββββββ βββββ ββ βββββββ ββββββββ ββ ββ βββββββ ββ ββββ ββββ ββ βββββ ββ ββ ββββββ ββββββββββ
attacking the anthropologist's βββββββββ ββ ββββββββββ βββ ββββββββββββββ ββ ββββββββ ββ βββ βββββββ ββββ βββ ββ βββββ βββββββ βββββββ βββ ββββββββ
suggesting that the ββββββββββββββββ ββββββββ ββββββ ββ β βββββββββββββββββ ββ β βββ ββββββββββ ββββ