Objectivity and Perspective

 https://utk.instructuremedia.com/embed/5dc6395e-cff0-4bcf-8fd2-33f76d7c21dc

    In this video, a pitbull is licking a baby cottontail rabbit. The rabbit is cleaning itself while this is happening.

Credit: Reader's Digest

    I interpret the pitbull's behavior in the video as affectionate. It seems to me that the pitbull sees the bunny as a fellow animal to take care of through cleaning, a common way of showing affection for animal as mothers do to their children. I base this interpretation on my past experiences of seeing videos of animals cleaning each other, especially dogs doing so to other animals, as well as stories I have heard of dogs licking animals that they are close with such as their owners

.    Value-judgment and perspective could come into play in biased ways. For example, I like to look at things positively and thus tend to see positive reasoning for things that I do not have much background information about. My value of previous knowledges and experiences also leads me to assume the affectionate purpose of the pitbull's actions. I could very well be assigning attributes to the animals. Therefore, my interpretation is not objective.

Credit:towardsdatascience.com

    With these factors in mind, my observation does not change. However, I acknowledge that there could be various reasons behind the pitbull's actions in the interaction. For example, it could be licking the bunny to taste something on its fur. To me, however, it seems reasonable to me that the pitbull is demonstrating affection to the bunny, who is in turn cleaning itself.

More information about objectivity and perspective: 

A useful overview of contemporary debates about scientific objectivity | Metascience (springer.com)

Scientific Objectivity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

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