29 Mar 10
Just watched the "Life" show last week. And it showed some monkeys that use rocks to crack open nuts. Oprah 's comments were that over the centuries the monkeys had learned to use the rocks as tools as they didn't at one time.
My question is..who was there hundreds of thousands of years ago to say they didn't?
29 Mar 10
Originally posted by galveston75Oprah is certainly an authority in this field.
Just watched the "Life" show last week. And it showed some monkeys that use rocks to crack open nuts. Oprah 's comments were that over the centuries the monkeys had learned to use the rocks as tools as they didn't at one time.
My question is..who was there hundreds of thousands of years ago to say they didn't?
29 Mar 10
Originally posted by galveston75Some other monkeys perhaps?
My question is..who was there hundreds of thousands of years ago to say they didn't?
But your real question is "how do we know", or "how does Oprah know". Also, you have combined your question with an erroneous claim about knowledge acquisition.
It is not necessary for there to be a witness to an event for us to know of the event. In fact, witnesses are often not the most reliable form of evidence.
In this particular case, I would say it was probably:
a) a guess, based on the known fact that most monkeys do not do the same, so it is most likely that the practice started in that particular population at some point in time.
b) the known fact that the monkeys evolved from other animals incapable of using rocks.
29 Mar 10
Originally posted by galveston75Never mind that, can you explain to me why anyone would watch Oprah?
Just watched the "Life" show last week. And it showed some monkeys that use rocks to crack open nuts. Oprah 's comments were that over the centuries the monkeys had learned to use the rocks as tools as they didn't at one time.
My question is..who was there hundreds of thousands of years ago to say they didn't?