Stop That Crow!

The name “Stop That Crow!” comes from a phrase which philosopher Daniel Dennett repeats numerous times through out his wonderful book Freedom Evolves. Let me be frank, Daniel Dennett is my favorite author. While I am not under the delusion that his more popular books are genuine works of academic philosophy, nor do I agree with him on every point, I do, however, see in him and his treatment of topics such as freewill and religion an inspiring account of a worldview devoid of all supernaturalism.

Like Dennett, I don’t believe in anything beyond what can in principle be explained by brute mechanics and would really like to one day provide an alternative to the supernatural beliefs which are so prevalent in society today. The idea behind this blog is to try out some of these ideas and perhaps get some feedback from those who are more qualified in many of the subjects I approach.

To be completely open, I do not, for the most part, have an ax to grind against religion or supernaturalism in general. However, I do think that there are some aspects of religion and a super-naturalistic worldview which I find to be deeply disturbing. In this blog there will be some posts which will be fairly critical of some aspects of religion; however, for the most part the posts will be my attempts at providing all alternative explanation to the phenomena which religion is so well geared toward “explaining.” Thus, while I do not interpret any of my posts to be a direct assault on anybodies faith, it will come as no surprise to me if some others do interpret it this way.

In short, I do expect, from time to time, to hear an occasional “Stop that crow!” Here is Dennett’s account of such cries:

“In Walt Disney’s classic animated film Dumbo, about the little elephant who learns to spread his giant ears and fly, there is a pivotal scene in which a dubious – indeed terrified – Dumbo is being cajoled by his friends, the crows, to leap off a cliff into the air, proving to himself that he can fly. One of the crows has a bright idea. When Dumbo isn’t looking he plucks a tail feather from one of his kind and then ceremoniously hand it to Dumbo, announcing that it is a magic feather: So long as Dumbo clutches it in his trunk, he can fly! The scene is presented in masterful economy. No explanation is provided, since small children get the point without being told: The feather isn’t really magic; it’s a prosthetic device, a belief-crutch of sorts that will get Dumbo off the ground by the power of positive thinking. Now imagine a variation on that scene. Imagine that one of the other crows, a village skeptic who is smart enough to see what trick is being played but not smart enough to see its virtue, starts trying to inform Dumbo of the truth as he perches on the cliff edge, feather held tightly. “Stop that crow!” the children would shriek. Stifle that smarty-pants, quick, before he ruins it for Dumbo!

“In the eyes of some, I am that crow. Look out, they warn. This person is up to some serious mischief, however well intentioned. He insists on talking about topics that are better left unexplored. “Shhh! You’ll break the spell.” This admonition is not just for fairy tales; it is sometimes quite appropriate for real life. A fact-laden disquisition on the biomechanics of sexual arousal and erection is not a good topic during foreplay, and reflections on the social utility of ceremony and costume are unwelcome in a funeral oration or wedding toast. There are times when we are wise to divert our attention from scientific detail, when ignorance is indeed bliss.”

- Daniel Dennett: Freedom Evolves