I'm going to say something. I've said it before but
this time, if you really want to impress me, you
could respond to me. Even point by point.
See, although this never occurred to you, I grew
up in the same world as you. I saw the same
headlines that you did. I learned pretty much the
same things as you. You don't have to repeat
any of it back to me know. I know it. And
regurgitating here, or anywhere, doesn't make
you look clever or well read or anything like that.
Repeating what you heard from a documentary
or a high school teacher doesn't even convey
understanding. Parroting words never required
understanding.
Okay, so impress my, impress the world by
responding (and not reacting) to this:
The oldest monkey fossils found in the Americas are
presently dated at 36 million years. Monkeys were
already diversified at that point.
There are no records of monkey behaviors for even
10% of that history. There's absolutely zero recorded
observations of monkey behavior for even 1% of that
history, or 0.01% of that history.
I defy you to produce any record of monkeys using
tools that stretches back even 0.001% of that
history...
So virtually NOTHING exists for your history of "Tool
use" in Monkeys. What about birds?
Birds are popularly dated back 150 million years. So
that leaves us with 25% of nothing. A little less,
actually.
Invertebrates? Now we have to push things back at
least half a billion years.
Science is specific. Science needs to be "Precise."
And the language science uses needs to be precise.
However, the misuse of the word "Tools" is the
opposite. It doesn't convey information. It's not
specific. It has no significance what so ever.
A human ancestor is no different from a Chimp, no
more special than a monkey, no more advanced
than a bird, many other mammals and even
invertebrates. Nothing useful is being conveyed.
Nothing.
It's not how science CAN WORK much less does work.
And to cure this problem we just have to not be
stupid...
Instead of saying "The monkey hammered the nut with
a rock, thus the rock is now a hammer and a hammer is
a tools."
Try this: "The monkey banged the nut with a rock."
There. No more imaginary hammer, no more imaginary
"Tool."
And why this is vitally important is because you are
witnessing AND DESCRIBING behaviors, not objects.
BEHAVIORS, not objects.
VERBS not NOUNS.
So the rock isn't a tool because, quite literally, the rock
isn't important. It's not special at all. It's not even the
focus. No, you're looking at and trying to report THE
BEHAVIOR.
Nobody runs down to Home Depot to buy a behavior.
"Hello, sir, in what isle can I find a behavior for sale."
Science requires precision. The misuse of the word
"Tools" accomplishes the exact opposite. It makes
the history of tools, their frequency of use unknown
and forever unknowable. And that's not any way that
science can work.
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