3 ms·
> A: It is possible to determine whether a skeleton is from a biological male or female using objective observations based on the size and shape of the bones.
by FooBarBizBazz 4y ago
> A: It is possible to determine whether a skeleton is from a biological male or female using objective observations based on the size and shape of the bones.
> B: That's not true. There is a probability assignment to pre-established categories.
This is how literally everything works.
"Officer, the 'red-light, green-light' binary is simply false, because estimation errors make the state of the light unknowable!"
It's just sophism.
- eesmith 4y agoYour "B" summary left out how I then pointed to a paper giving an overview of those accuracy numbers, across a range of methods. What's the error rate in telling if a traffic light is red or green? My own experience says it's very low. Even for people who are color-blind (due to the standardized orientation of the lights, and choice of a blueish-green that's easier for red-green colorblind people to recognize). What's the error rate in assigning gender based on skeletal remains using the approach mentioned in the article? That appears to be 5-15% -- high enough that the article should have used a qualifier like "It is usually possible" or "It is often possible". Even the 5% error rate "acceptable in forensic setting" is far higher than the error rate in your traffic light example.