Man, judging by the responses I'm getting, it seems nobody got the point I was trying to make. So I think I should just spell it out.
Being able to tell a dog when you see one, is not the same as being able to define what a dog is. For example I'm pretty sure I can tell what is or isn't a dog when I see an animal. But if you ask me to define what a dog is, I don't think I'll do a very good job. Mainly, I don't know exactly what distinguishes a dog from a wolf. Maybe one good way to define a dog that distinguishes them from wolves is to say they are domesticated animals. But then, there are feral dogs too, so it's not quite right. There's probably a physical trait that sets dogs and wolves apart, but I don't know it.
The point is, just because I know a dog when I see one, doesn't mean I can give you a good definition of dog. And I think there are probably a lot of people like me.
Man, judging by the responses I'm getting, it seems nobody got the point I was trying to make. So I think I should just spell it out.
Being able to tell a dog when you see one, is not the same as being able to define what a dog is. For example I'm pretty sure I can tell what is or isn't a dog when I see an animal. But if you ask me to define what a dog is, I don't think I'll do a very good job. Mainly, I don't know exactly what distinguishes a dog from a wolf. Maybe one good way to define a dog that distinguishes them from wolves is to say they are domesticated animals. But then, there are feral dogs too, so it's not quite right. There's probably a physical trait that sets dogs and wolves apart, but I don't know it.
The point is, just because I know a dog when I see one, doesn't mean I can give you a good definition of dog. And I think there are probably a lot of people like me.
:)