I think, therefore . .

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Ah yes, Descartes “I think, therefore I am.” He was a biggie that we all had to read back in Philosophy 101. He helped keep philosophy departments stay afloat in the face of the STEM inundation, and was the source of one of my favorite philosopher jokes: 

Descartes was sitting in his favorite bistro when the waiter realized the philosopher’s coffee cup was empty.

“Professor Descartes, would you care for more coffee?”

Descartes looked up, replied, “I think not .  .  .” And vanished!

Well, maybe you had to be there. 

Anyhow, I don’t know how Monsieur Descartes would feel about the current ascendency of “magical thinking” which might possibly be traced to his famous quote, only twisted to read “If I think it hard enough, I can make it true.” Some of the most widely cited current examples of this logical fallacy can sadly be traced to the White House’s assertions regarding COVID-19. From Trump’s initial assertion that it was “Only one guy in China,” to his more recent claim that “99% of all COVID cases are harmless” we see magical thinking running rampant: “If I think it hard enough and shout it loud enough I can make it true.” Would that that were true.

Anyone who has taught school has encountered more than their fair share of the illusory certainty that accompanies magical thinking in the young: Santa is real. Elvis is alive. Human beings existed alongside dinosaurs. The earth is flat. When pressed for evidence they will often assert that “everyone knows that” or they have known that “all their lives.” A droll assertion in the mouth of a teenager. I fondly recall the response of a pithy older Baptist preacher, a guest speaker in a class on Constitutional Law, to a student who had opined that only the members of his tiny church would be allowed in heaven; “Young man, did you check your brains at the door?”

Magical thinking in the young is, perhaps, inevitable. An occasionally amusing intellectual aberration that they will outgrow as they move through life and education, encountering the idea of truth, of proof, and the scientific method. Those tools that gave us penicillin, knee replacements, lasik surgery, open heart surgery and the iPhone! But among chronologically mature adults in positions of power, like our current President, magical thinking is a dangerous adolescent mental deficiency leading to policy decisions that endanger millions.

So how did we get here? I am currently reading Fluency, by Jennifer Foehner Wells, an entertaining sort of Calamity Jane in Space sci-fi romp. I have also re-read most of Frank Herbert’s Dune series during my pandemic induced literary frenzy. So I have been thinking about how science fiction - touted by many practicing scientists as an early influence in their career choices in pure science, physics and all those other STEM fields - might drive one instead into the arms of magical thinking. Think about it. Writing fiction is an act requiring a rich vocabulary, a fertile imagination, boundless creativity and energy, and a slavish dedication to the craft of writing. If you point those characteristics at the task of creating narratives that unfold in imaginary worlds from long ago in galaxies far, far away you often end up either with science fiction, or with fantasy. And there is a significant difference between the two.

Authors who opt for science fiction often obsess about retaining scientific believability. The written forms tend to carry long lists of acknowledgments of scientists who kept them on the scientific straight and narrow. In video versions the list of scientific advisors in the credits takes several minutes to crawl down the screen. The message is clear: This is science fiction, but science fiction nonetheless in which science is writ large. Authors who opt for fantasy probably have more fun because they just make up their worlds. And so we get dragons and wizards, hobbits and Harry Potter, magic and, seemingly unintentionally, the seeds of magical thinking. Winter is coming, because I say it is. Winter is coming because I believe it is.

Hence, The White House fantasy narrative: COVID-19 will soon disappear on its own because I want it to. Most COVID-19 cases are mild, harmless, because I want them to be. We are winning the fight against COVID -19 because I want us to.

Old man, did you check your brains at the door?

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