THINKER'S ALMANAC - November 30

Did Jonathan Swift really write an essay suggesting that the Irish should sell their infant children for food?

Subject:  Satire - 

Event:  Birthdays of Jonathan Swift, 1667, and Mark Twain, 1835

Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. -Molly Ivins

On this day in two different centuries, two great writers and two great satirists were born.

The first was the Irish writer Jonathan Swift, born in 1667. Swift wrote two of the greatest satires in the English language; the first is the classic political allegory Gulliver’s Travels, where he employs fantasy to expose human folly.  The second is his essay A Modest Proposal, where he takes on the voice of a pompous British politician who blithely proposes an outrageous solution to the problem of Irish poverty. 

The second great writer born on November 30th was the American writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known to us by his pen name Mark Twain.  Born in 1835 and raised in Hannibal, Missouri, Twain’s masterpiece was his novel and satire The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published in 1885. Twain’s innovation in this work was to write in the first person, not using his own voice, but instead making the narrator an uneducated, unwashed outcast named Huckleberry Finn.

Image by Catherine Stovall from Pixabay

As great satirists, both Swift and Twain used humor as a tool to expose and criticize their societies.  However, they both knew that the recipe for satire included one other essential ingredient:  irony.

Successful satire uses irony to say one thing while meaning the opposite.  So, for example, instead of directly criticizing an opponent’s argument, the satirist speaks as though he is agreeing with his opponent while at the same time pointing out the argument’s flaws and absurdities.  Satire, therefore, possesses a challenge for the reader who must be able to detect the ironic voice and realize that the author actually means the opposite of what he or she is saying.

For example, to truly comprehend Twain’s bitter criticism of a society that would condone slaveholding, we have to see the irony of Huck’s predicament regarding his friend, the runaway slave Jim.  By helping Jim to escape, Huck truly believes he is committing an immoral act, an act that will condemn him to hell.

Similarly, when we read Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” it is important to realize that Swift is not truly arguing that Irish parents should sell their babies as food.  Instead, he is using irony to target the corrupt ways that the English have exploited the Irish.

As the following excerpt demonstrates, Swift takes on the persona (or mask) of a seemingly rational statesman who is using logical argumentation to reach an absurd conclusion:

I am assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London; that a young healthy child, well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food; whether stewed, roasted, baked or boiled, and I make no doubt, that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or ragout. (1)

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What is satire, and how do Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” meet the definition?

Challenge - Seeing a Situation Satirically:  What are some current societal issues for which you might make a modest proposal?  Before you attempt to write satire, read the complete text of Swift’s essay.  The complete title of the 1729 essay was A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of the Poor People in Ireland from Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to Their Public.  Today, the three words “A Modest Proposal” have become synonymous with a satirical approach to addressing an issue, where a writer uses humor and irony to target opposing arguments.  Brainstorm some real societal issues that people and politicians are currently trying to solve.  Select one, and determine what you think would be the best ways to solve the problem.  Then, put on your mask (persona) of satire, and try to capture the voice of someone who believes the exact opposite of what you do.  Use humor and hyperbole to reveal the weaknesses and absurdity of the proposal as well as to criticize the kinds of people who perpetuate the problem instead of solving it. 

Sources:

1-Swift, Jonathan.  A Modest Proposal. 1729. Public Domain.  Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1080.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - November 29

When education first became compulsory in Prussia in the 18th century, what were teachers asked to do to supplement their income?

Subject:  Education - Compulsory Education

Event:  The Elementary Education Act of 1870

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.  -Aristotle

On this day in 1870, the British government announced its plan to make education compulsory.  The Elementary Education Act of 1870 required that education be provided to children up to age 10.  The act was also commonly known as the Forster’s Education Act, named for William Edward Forster, a member of the House of Commons who crusaded for universal education and who drew up the act.

One nation that adopted compulsory education before Britain was Prussia.  A decree by Frederick the Great in 1763 provided an education for all girls and boys until age 13.  Under this plan, teachers were paid by the citizens of the municipalities in which they taught; however, the teachers — many of whom were former soldiers — were asked to supplement their income by cultivating silkworms.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

In the United States, Mississippi became the last state to pass a compulsory education law in 1918.

In 2012, best-selling young adult fiction author John Green published a YouTube post on compulsory education entitled “An Open Letter to Students Returning to School.”  In his letter, Green challenged students to not take their education for granted and to see “compulsory” schooling as an opportunity to contribute something to society.

Public education isn't a charity project; I pay for your schools because I want you to grow up and make my life better. I want you to make me beautiful books that will bring me pleasure and consolation. I want you to make me cooler cars for me to drive, and drugs so that I can live a longer, healthier life. I'm paying for your education in the hopes that you will invent a microwave pizza with actually crispy crust and that you'll spread the availability of the internet so I can get more YouTube views in Zambia.

Your education isn't just about you, your nation is making an investment in you because they believe that you are worth it. So the next that you're like half asleep fantasizing about being a kid chosen for a special mission or wizard school, or whatever, please remember something: you are special, and you've chosen for a special mission that was denied to 99.9% of all humans ever. We need you, we believe in you, and we're counting on you. (2)

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  Which nation was the first to make education compulsory, and what was the last U.S. state to make education compulsory?

Challenge - A Compulsion for Education:  If you were the Secretary of Education, what class would you make mandatory for all students?  Why?  Imagine that you have been appointed to design a specific class that will be required by all students before they graduate high school.  What would you call your class, and what would be the make-up of the class’s curriculum?  In addition to describing the class, provide a rationale for why the content of the class is essential for students. 

Sources:

1-Elementary Education Act of 1870. 

2-Green, John. An Open Letter to Students Returning to School. YouTube 7 Aug. 2012. 

THINKER'S ALMANAC - November 28

Why did a British organization founded in 1660 make its motto “Take no man’s word for it”?

Subject:  Science -  Nullius in verba

Event: The founding of the Royal Society, 1660

On this day in 1660, The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge was founded.  

After attending a lecture by Christopher Wren, a 25-year-old professor of astronomy at Gresham College, twelve men met to discuss the idea of creating a new organization, a society to promote experimental learning.

Image by felixioncool from Pixabay

The men were inspired by Francis Bacon’s book Novum Organum, where he first proposed what would become known as the scientific method.  Bacon proposed that the source of knowledge should not  just be what someone believes; instead, it should be based on what they do, specifically a process of observations, inquiries, and experiments.  This process should include the seeking out of disconfirming evidence as well as confirming evidence, and it should be a collaborative process, hence the necessity for a society based on fellowship and made up of fellows.

The Royal Society became truly official -- and truly “royal” -- when it was first granted a charter in July 1662. Christopher Wren persuaded the King of England, Charles II, to become its founder and patron.  Supposedly a part of Wren’s pitch involved his drawing of magnified louse and a homemade lunar globe featuring details of the moon’s surface.

Although English was agreed upon as the society’s primary language, its motto is “Nullius in verba,” which means “Take no man’s word for it.”  It’s an appropriate motto for an organization that is determined to resist claims of authority and to test all things based on facts, evidence, and experiment.  

In 2015, the writer Nicholas Clairmont, elaborated on the the Royal Society’s mission:

The scientific method is a codification of the skeptic’s credo. It charges us to question not just the ideas that we don’t like, but also the ideas that are dear to us. It even asks us to imagine that we may be acting based on assumptions we don’t know we have made, and to question those too. The Royal Society, one of the great scientific institutions in the history of human progress, incubator for the ideas of Isaac Newton and countless others, bears as its motto the phrase nullius in verba: “Don’t take anybody’s word for it. (2)

Today the British Royal Society remains the oldest scientific institution in the world.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason: How does the quest for truth guided by the motto “Nullius in verba” differ from traditional, flawed methods of seeking truth? 

Challenge - Seeing Better Through Science:  What is the best thing that has ever been said about science and the importance of the scientific method.  Do a search on some quotations.  When you find one you like, write it down, and explain why you think it is insightful.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

November 28, 1976:  Thin Blue Line murder of Robert Wood

ESSAY 1:  There Is Such a Thing as Truth - https://thisibelieve.org/essay/28/

Sources:

1-Keeler, C. Richard. “Three Hundred Fifty Years of the Royal Society.” Arch Ophthalmol. 2011;129(10):1361-1365. Oct. 2011.

2-Clairmont, Nicholas.  “The Skeptic’s Credo.”  The American Interest. 9 April 2015.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - November 27

How did a journalistic error lead to the establishment of the Nobel Prizes?

Subject: Credibility - Nobel Prizes and The Sinatra Test

Event:  Nobel Prizes established, 1895

As was the case for Nobel's own invention of dynamite, the uses that are made of increased knowledge can serve both beneficial and potentially harmful ends. Increased knowledge clearly implies increased responsibility. -Nicolaas Bloembergen, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, 1981

On this day in 1895, approximately one year before his death, Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, signed his will, which left most of his wealth to the establishment of the Nobel Prizes.

Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

The inspiration for Nobel’s will came seven years earlier when a French newspaper mistakenly reported his death.  In truth, it was Alfred’s brother Ludvig who had died.  Obviously reports of Alfred’s death had been greatly exaggerated; however, it was one stinging line in the obituary that made Alfred ponder his legacy:  “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”

After his death on December 10, 1896, many were surprised to learn that Alfred had left the bulk of his fortune to establish an annual prize in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.  Nobel’s family contested the will, but the will’s executors nevertheless went to work to form the Nobel Foundation, which would manage the financial assets and coordinate the process for awarding the prizes.

As a new century dawned in 1901, the prizes were first awarded in Stockholm, Sweden; the Peace Prize ceremony was held in Oslo, Norway.

Initially the awards drew attention because of the enormous cash prize which was awarded to winners, an amount that was equivalent to about twenty times the salary of a typical scientist.  Overtime, however, the Nobel Prizes became the most universally recognized, most prestigious award in the world for scientists, writers, doctors, politicians, and economists (A Nobel Prize in Economics was added in 1968) (1).

There is no Nobel Prize awarded for singing, but if there were, no doubt, Frank Sinatra would have won it long ago.  In the classic song, “New York, New York,” Sinatra sings about the Big Apple:  “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.”  In other words, the litmus test for any performer is to make it in New York City.

In the world of persuasion, this idea has become known as the Sinatra Test:  one powerfully, compelling, and detailed example that awards its author instant credibility.  We might also call it the Nobel Test, for there is no higher standard that a speaker or writer can appeal to for credibility than a reference to a Nobel Prize winner in science, medicine, literature, finance, or politics.  To pass the Sinatra Test, think about the claim you are making; then, think about your audience.  Is there some reference, association, or example that you can give that would cover your claim with unimpeachable credibility?

For example, in the 1960s one common marketing tactic was to tie a product to the NASA space program, the gold standard for adventurous exploration.

Omega Speedmaster watches passed the Sinatra Test with flying colors by being the watch that travelled to the moon and back on the wrists of NASA astronauts.   And even when the watch didn’t make it to the moon, as in the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, the Speedmaster watch still gained prestige by being the watch that astronauts used to time a 14-second engine burn, which allowed the lunar module to align itself on the correct trajectory for returning to Earth  (See  THINKER’S ALMANAC - April 13).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  When searching for persuasive evidence, why should writers or speakers consider the Nobel Prize and the Sinatra Test?

Challenge - How I Won The Prize:  Do some research on individuals who have won the Nobel Prize. Identify one who you find interesting.  Summarize the background of how they earned the Nobel Prize.

November 27, 1890:  British engineer John Alexander Brodie receives a patent for soccer nets, which make it easier for spectators to spot scored goals.  -see Action Bias

Sources:

1-Alfred Nobel – his life and work. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2021. Sun. 11 Jul 2021.

2-Heath, Chip and Dan Heath.  Made To Stick:  Why Some Ideas Die and Others Survive.  New York:  Random House, 2007.

3 -Olson, Alexandra, “50 years later, the moon is still great for business.” ABC News 23 June, 2019.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - November 26

How does the maternal instinct of a female turkey help us understand the unconscious behavior of humans?

Subject: Heuristics - Mother Turkeys

Event: George Washington signs Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789

The technical definition of heuristic is a simple procedure that helps find adequate, though often imperfect, answers to difficult questions.  The word comes from the same root as eureka. Daniel Kahneman TFS 98

On this day in 1789, Thanksgiving was celebrated for the first time under the new U.S. Constitution based on a proclamation signed by President George Washington.  However, it took over 150 years for Thanksgiving to be recognized as an official Federal holiday.  On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a Congressional resolution establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the Federal Thanksgiving Day holiday (1).

Image by Tracey O'Brien from Pixabay

Turkey day is an appropriate day to explore some interesting insights about turkeys that might help us better understand human behavior.

In his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini begins not with psychology but with ethology, the study of animals in their natural habitats.  Specifically, Cialdini talks about the behavior of mother turkeys.  It appears that there is one key factor that triggers a female turkey’s maternal instincts.  It’s not the smell, feeling, or appearance of the turkey chick; it’s the sound of the chick -- the “cheep-cheep” sound of the baby turkey.  This factor is so strong that even if experimenters present the mother turkey with a stuffed animal that is a predator -- such as a polecat -- the mother turkey will accept it and care for it as long as the stuffed polecat has a recorder inside that is playing the cheep-cheep sound.

All this turkey talk is really Cialdini’s way of giving us insight, not so much about turkey behavior, but about human behavior.  Just as the cheep-cheep sound triggers an automatic, fixed pattern of behavior in the mother turkey, humans also have a range of triggers that result in automatic compliance responses.  As an expert in the field of influence and persuasion, Cialdini is fascinated by these triggers and how they can be employed by marketers and salespeople to nudge customers toward spending more money or toward being more compliant (2).

Another name for a trigger is a “heuristic,” a mental shortcut that humans employ to make thinking faster and easier.  Heuristics are hardwired into us, allowing us to think without really consciously thinking.  Instead, like the mother turkey’s response to the cheep-cheep sound, heuristics are instinctive responses, where we sacrifice nuanced, reasoned responses, for quick, automatic responses.  

In their book Useful Delusions, Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler provide an excellent example of how humans subconsciously use heuristics to make judgments.  In a study, subjects were asked to taste wine and judge its quality.  Multiple wine bottles were arranged before the subjects, each bottle included a price; the prices ranged from five dollars to ninety dollars per bottle.  What the subjects did not know, however, was that the wine in the ninety-dollar bottle was the same as the wine in the ten-dollar bottle.

As you might have already guessed, the subjects judged the wine in the ninety-dollar bottle as far superior to the wine in the ten-dollar bottle, despite the fact that both wines were exactly the same.  The explanation for this is what we might call the “cost heuristic,”  most people live by a general rule of thumb that says that things that cost more are of superior quality to things that cost less (3).  Just as the cheep-cheep triggered the turkey’s maternal instinct, cost can trigger our quality/value instinct.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What is a heuristic, and how can it be explained through the material behavior of a female turkey and the way people evaluate wine?

Challenge - Rules of Thumb:  Do some research on other heuristics.  Identify a specific one that you find interesting.  Identify its name and how it works to trigger unconscious thinking.

Sources:

1-History.com.  “Thanksgiving 2021 - Traditions.” 16 Apr. 2021.

2-Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, New and Expanded.  New York:  Harper Business, 2021: 2-3.

3- Vedantam, Shankar and Bill Mesler. Useful Delusions. New York:  W.W. Norton & Company, 2021: 51.

THINKER'S ALMANAC - November 25

How did Tom Sawyer persuade his friends to not only do his chores for him but to also pay him for the privilege?

Subject: Work and Play - “The Ant and the Grasshopper” and Tom Sawyer’s Fence

Event:  Pixar releases A Bug’s Life, 1998

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. -Proverbs 6:6

On this day in 1998, the computer-animated film A Bug’s Life was released.  The film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios.  The film, which was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stanton, featured the music of Randy Newman and the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, and Julia Louis-Dryfus (1).

The plot of the film is based on a retelling of one of Aesop’s fables, The Ant and the Grasshopper:

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.

“What!” cried the Ants in surprise, “haven’t you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?”

“I didn’t have time to store up any food,” whined the Grasshopper; “I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.”

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

“Making music, were you?” they cried. “Very well; now dance!” And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

There’s a time for work and a time for play. (2)

No one knows for certain if Aesop actually lived, but some ancient historians report that he was a slave who lived either in the 5th or 6th-century B.C.  Whether he actually lived or not, today we have over 300 fables, each with a plot that centers on animals and a moral that applies to the human reader (3).

Walt Disney made a cartoon-short of “The Ant and the Grasshopper” in the 1930s, but when Pixar got ahold of the story in the 1990s, they turned the short fable into a full-fledged film, featuring a full colony of ants and a rowdy gang of grasshoppers.

Image by Atner Yegorov from Pixabay

Another classic work of literature with the theme of work and play is Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  In a classic episode from the novel’s second chapter Tom is given a thankless task to complete by his Aunt Polly on a sunny Saturday.  Instead of going off swimming with his friends, Tom must whitewash a fence. 

Rather than just grumble and complete his arduous task, Tom applies his imagination to his situation and comes up with a plan to reframe the “work” ahead of him and to transform it into “play.”  

If he can convince his friends that the task of painting the fence is play rather than work, he might just pull it off.  By climbing into the skin of his peers, he visualizes the psychology of the situation from their point of view.  If he is going to move them to action, he needs to truly sell the idea.

To truly sell the idea requires sincerity, so Tom begins by changing his own attitude.  As soon as Tom hatches his idea, the narrator proclaims, “He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work.” The task is still “work,” but by doing it “tranquilly,” Tom is beginning to make it play.

Thus, as his friends begin to arrive, they are persuaded by the fun that Tom is having.  And since there is only one brush, they pay for the privilege of painting.  There’s no greater illustration of how moving an audience emotionally is a great precursor to moving them logically.  Without the proper framing of the situation, paying to whitewash a fence on a sunny, summer day would be insanity to a young boy.  Tom’s strategic reframing made it not just a reasonable act, but also a highly desirable act.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  How does the theme of work and play apply to both ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’ and Chapter 2 of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’?

Challenge - Work and Play:  Do a search for quotations that deal with the relationship between work and play.  Select one quotation you like, write it out, and explain why you find it insightful.

Sources:

1-Pixar. A Bug’s Life. 2000

2-Aesop Fables. The Harvard Classics 1909-14. Bartleby.com.  Public Domain. 3-University of Massachusetts Amherst. Aesop’s Fables.