Book 060
I could tell so many anecdotal stories to go with this book, but I will
refrain. I get impatient, sometimes,
with the necessity to be able to prove something through experimentation
instead of relying on observation.
My own life experiences, though, with someone who never had a lab science
course have helped change my mind about that.
It is easy to make assumptions based on observation. Experimentation is necessary to prove or
disprove those assumptions. **sigh**
When it comes to animals, it is easy to turn repeated observations into
assumptions believed to be truisms.
Animal
Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our
Fellow Creatures by Virginia Morell shares the stories of many scientists involved in
experimentation with a variety of animals and animal species to turn observed
behaviors into more than anthropomorphizing assumptions into sound facts about
animal behavior. From ants that teach,
to rats that laugh, to dogs who prefer to serve Man, to dolphins and archer
fish and many others, researchers are making discoveries that back up many of
our assumptions about animal behavior when we observe them often and closely.
Book 061
A short story, really
Slipped this one in as a light over-lunch listen: The
Joke That Made Ed's Fortune by Mark Twain.
Twain. 'Nuf said. :-)
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