{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "On the utility of stereotypes in reasoning", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/119902937773/", "html": "

Mary is a crane operator at the container port. Her hobbies include playing darts and following the LPGA tour.

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Anna is a kindergarten teacher. Her hobbies include horseback riding and following celebrity fashion.

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Of the two, one is a lesbian. Which one?

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The tediously correct answer is that you don\u2019t know, nothing I\u2019ve told you conclusively establishes the sexuality of either.

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But that is what I have told you, that is what I asked, and come on. If your reasoning process can only yield answers you\u2019ve already been told, it\u2019s not much of a reasoning process, now is it?

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But okay, thumbs on the scale there. What if I\u2019d only told you that Anna liked female singer-songwriter folk music and Mary was a fan of Taylor Swift?

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(All the best Tayswift thirstblogs are run by women.)

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Okay, okay. Make it harder. Keep Mary, throw out Anna.

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Heather is a professional activist for gay rights. Her hobbies include blogging against the expectation that women will marry a man and bear his children, and following the portrayal of sexual minorities in popular culture.

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Of the two, one will marry a man and bear his children. Which one?

"}