Comment by MangoToupe
3 months ago
Of course Koko could communicate. The beef is over whether she engaged in true use of human language.
3 months ago
Of course Koko could communicate. The beef is over whether she engaged in true use of human language.
> Of course
This is what I was taught once upon a time -- that scientists acknowledged she could sign "food" and "thank you" and such, but is this language?
But this doesn't hold up. Nobody but her handler could interpret the signing even for basic gestures. Identical signs were often interpreted differently depending on the context. Similarly, unrelated gestures were given the same translation, also in context.
No reason to suspect any malfeasance or anything; the interpreter (as in the telepathy tapes and FC) is most likely acting in good faith and just unaware how much weight they are giving to their own mental model of the subject.