magical thinking

[Michael Eisenstadt]

Thanks to Jeff N i occasionally look in on
http://www.cursor.org

today it sported this paragraph:

"The Detroit Free Press reports on the rumor circulating 
among Dearborn's Arab-Americans, and throughout Arab 
communities worldwide, that Saddam made a deal with 
the U.S. government to escape Iraq with his money and 
his life."

The phrase "made a deal" links to

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq/where17_20030417.htm

magical thinking is constructing a chain of causes
and effects without ANY regard of rational probability.
the rule of Occam's razor (explanations should be
as simple as possible) is apparently unknown to the
collective Arab mind at its present level. this is
not to say that many educated Arabs are not as aware 
of this as I am, but merely that the average Arab
"understands" the world magically*. pace Wayne Johnson,
voting for Bush in 2000 was NOT an example of magical
thinking. it was perhaps an example of wishful thinking
on the part of the minority of voters who voted for
Bush but it was NOT magical thinking. 

see ya at Artie's party this afternoon. great weather
for it

Mike

-------------------------------------------------

*hence the majority Arab belief that the Israeli 
secret police, the Mossad, blew up the towers having
first phoned 4000 jews who worked at the WTC on the 
morning of 9-11 and asked or ordered them to call 
in sick to their office. (just imagine the probable
conversation -- "Who's calling? The Mossad? It's for
you, Chaim.")

is this probable?  is it even theoretically possible?
the Arab mind doesnt ask these sorts of questions. 
it is an Arabian tale, it is magical thinking