#22 - Meerkat "sentinels," so-called because they watch

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hello! PowerScore received the following question from a student. An instructor will respond below. Thanks!

Hello. I did not understand the explanation for the advanced cause and
effect question on pg 280 of the LR bible.

In your explanation, it states that "we cannot infer solely from the
beneficial effect produced by an action that the purpose of that action is
to produce that effect."

The answer is so because the author never claimed anything about the
purpose of the sentinels?

Seeking insights.
Thank you.
Regards,

[Jeff Wren]

When the author of the argument discusses whether sentinels' behavior of watching for predators is self-interested or altruistic (or both), the author is getting at the motive, or purpose of the behavior. In other words, why are the meerkat sentinels watching for predators? Is it just to protect themselves, to protect the rest of the group, or both? The author concludes that it is both, mainly because the sentinels bark when they see a predator, which does in fact help to warn the other meerkats.

While this explanation may seem reasonable, the flaw is that just because the bark does in fact help to warn the other meerkats does not prove that this is the reason that the meerkat sentinels bark.

For example, if I accidentally step on a piece of broken glass with bare feet and I yell in pain, I would likely be warning other people around to watch out. However, my yell wasn't intended to warn others, it was simply a natural response to the unexpected shock/pain.

In other words, sometimes the actual effects of an action/behavior are not intended.

[Hyunuk Park]

Thank you so much for your kind explanation!

[dshen123]

A: If the loud bark come from self-interest, will that contradict the conclusion?

[Luke Haqq]

Hi dshen123!

If I understand your question correctly, yes that could contradict the conclusion. The conclusion is that the sentinel's bark is "an example of animal behavior motivated at least in part by altruism." If the bark came entirely from self-interest, this would be in tension with the conclusion that it is motivated in part by altruism.