[dgb23]

We tend to learn through imitation more than we think. Humans lean on Theory of Mind: when we see others do a task we assume that it’s the right way of doing things, so we adopt their incantations.

Generally this is not something that should be disheartening. It’s an incredibly efficient learning method that spreads cultural advancements quickly.

Have you ever tried to train a dog? They try to understand you, but they don’t imitate. You have to meticulously motivate them through each step of a behavior and mark it consistently with commands. It’s fun, but requires a lot of patience.

With humans you can just demonstrate something and they can imitate complex workflows in just a session or two.

The master said to the apprentice: “I’ll only show you this once, so watch carefully!”