I like reading about animal training for the same reason that I like reading about very ancient history: it's relevant to the material that more often concerns me, but there are fewer factors to keep track of.
Animal training is focused on how to create new habits and reinforce them and... not much else. No one is concerned with equipping dolphins with such lasting inspiration that in a moment of crisis they will be motivated to make self-sacrificing moral decisions -- as we are in educating humans.
On the other hand, educating people also involves establishing and reinforcing habits (say please). So it's interesting to me to see which techniques do and don't work for other creatures in this one specific area.
Questions.
1a. Maybe because humans are moral creatures, it's not right to draw comparisons after all.
1b. If the answer to 1a is that it isn't, what would the Kuzari say about Jewish education?
2a. Where is the line between training in good habits, and manipulation? -- in other words, if I fling fish at you every time you remember to say please, does that make me a cult leader?
3. If the answer to 2 is yes, is it because I have reduced what should be a moral decision to an animal instinct?
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