From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-01-29 19:54:11 UTC
Subject: RE: Ferrets and their (in)ability to deliberate
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <8331771.1107028452010.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
If this were coming from a professor in a related topic I'd say the person was using the age old trick of saying a follish statement forcefully to see who is thinking independently enough to challenge it with a cohesive argument.
I think your best way to throw this prof on his rear (figuratively) is to get a copy of the the recent bonobo work (Pan pygmaes -- but I kow I am mispelling that) with them leaving maps along a path for stragglers which the researchers learned to read.
There are a LOT of studies in ferret intelligence. (Enough that when I trying to find a specific ref used by a coorespondent without knowing which paper he'd read I simply could not narrow it down to one source.) So, hit the library. Years from now if you are not near a university library you will really miss having such access. Believe me on that!
If the professor remains skeptical remind him that one the basic foundation stones of rationality is the ability to loosen hold on a premise if there is decent evidence that it is right. As Feynmann said:
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong"