Ladder of inference
Imagine you have a really cool wooden ladder. You start at the bottom of the ladder, and every rung you climb up makes your view of everything around you higher and higher.
Now, sometimes when we look at things or hear things, we make assumptions or guesses about what they mean.
Let's pretend you see a red apple on a table. You might assume it's edible because you've seen apples before and they are usually good to eat.
But what happens when you don't have all the information or don't understand something clearly?
That's where the ladder of inference comes in.
The ladder of inference is like climbing the rungs on your ladder. Let's say someone tells you something about themselves, and you start to make assumptions about what that means.
For example, someone might tell you they’re sad, and you might assume that they’re sad because of something you did. Maybe you start to think this person doesn't like you or is angry with you.
But when you start to climb up the ladder of inference to understand this situation better, you might notice that you missed something important. You might hear that they're sad because their dog passed away, and it has nothing to do with you.
In other words, when we climb the rungs on the ladder of inference, we can stop ourselves from making assumptions that might not be true. By taking each step carefully, we can gain a better understanding of a situation and make more accurate assumptions.
Now, sometimes when we look at things or hear things, we make assumptions or guesses about what they mean.
Let's pretend you see a red apple on a table. You might assume it's edible because you've seen apples before and they are usually good to eat.
But what happens when you don't have all the information or don't understand something clearly?
That's where the ladder of inference comes in.
The ladder of inference is like climbing the rungs on your ladder. Let's say someone tells you something about themselves, and you start to make assumptions about what that means.
For example, someone might tell you they’re sad, and you might assume that they’re sad because of something you did. Maybe you start to think this person doesn't like you or is angry with you.
But when you start to climb up the ladder of inference to understand this situation better, you might notice that you missed something important. You might hear that they're sad because their dog passed away, and it has nothing to do with you.
In other words, when we climb the rungs on the ladder of inference, we can stop ourselves from making assumptions that might not be true. By taking each step carefully, we can gain a better understanding of a situation and make more accurate assumptions.