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As a Biology
major, I’ve noticed that my courses so woefully lack the art of telling
stories. Instead, my professors convey ideas through a concise assortment of
facts, and I logically process the information while my imagination atrophies. The
result is an underwhelming acceptance of the truth, one often robbed of the awe that the universe deserves. The
irony is that to explain some scientific phenomena, scientists are increasingly
having to incorporate their imagination.
In 1911, 29
scientists, 17 of whom later became Nobel Prize winners, met at the first Solvay
Conference to discuss the emerging discoveries in physics that clashed with our
classic understanding of Newton’s laws. Since then, the way we understand the
world has moved away from Materialism, which states that matter gives rise to
everything, and towards idealism, which posits that consciousness can actually
change the state of matter. Einstein himself, after spending his life trying to
explain the world materialistically, conceded that a framework of the world
much like the one Democritus provided two and a half thousand years ago fails
to explain the advances in modern science that gradually confirm Plato’s idea
that mind alters matter. To understand quantum physics, one must allow for the
crazy idea that classic, simple logic does not explain our world.
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| Isaac Feinn - Class of 2019 |
Now, pause with
me and consider the state of American social divisions. In my experience, reasonable
arguments – in other words, simple logic - no longer seem to win people over,
but rather their impact only dulls as ideology or presuppositions emasculate
them. Hostility towards differing opinions blocks the consideration of new and
better ideas, exacerbating social tensions. Underneath this rejection of often
evident truth, people instinctively long to experience the amazement that our
universe itself demands in order to comprehend, and conveying ideas through
stories allows us the chance to replicate that amazement. Just as a
materialistic understanding of science can fail to explain our world, reason
alone can fail to communicate effectively to our neighbor. Both require a
grander element: for the former, a grasp of idealism, and for the latter, an
intermingling with the imagination.
The way I see
it, Americans should use the art of storytelling more often to win over their
listener instead of wrestling so divisively with their mind. In attempting to
constructively open a dialogue with those holding opposing viewpoints, I’d like
to explore the power of supplementing reason with an appeal to the imagination.
If it worked for explaining how our universe functions, perhaps it will work
for explaining our views to each other.
Immediately an
exemplar of this tactic comes to mind: C.S Lewis. He not only articulated
truths about society and the universe, but also captured the childlike part of my
mind with his fantastical storytelling that seemed to effortlessly puncture the
pomposity of modern philosophical arguments and instead gently illustrate what they
tried to say all along. His works emphasized the difference between something
being imaginary, meaning made-up or not-real, and imaginative, where an idea arises
from our deepest intuitions, develops from our creativity, but remains
nonetheless substantiated by profound truths. Authors like Lewis enrich reason
with fanciful storytelling, and their imaginative rhetoric pierces the listener
in a more satiating way. These stories then in turn help us make sense of
reality. His incredible influence on the hearts and minds of numerous
generations was due in part by his masterful utilization of the imagination.
This effect of
winsome communication can also be achieved using non-fictitious storytelling. Consider
the crisis occurring in war-torn Syria. Using two separate methods, I’m going
to try to convince you of its catastrophic effects.
Try #1: Half
the country’s pre-war population -- more than 11 million people – have been
killed or forced to flee their homes. Thirteen million are still in need of
humanitarian assistance. One in four people in Lebanon (Syria’s neighboring
country) are Syrian refugees. Syrians
are now the world’s largest refugee population, reaching 4.8 million total.
More than 50% of Syrian refugees are children who’ve lost everything.
Try #2: Simply
watch this short video:
Certainly, the
numbers in the first method conveyed as a disastrous humanitarian crisis. But
do they trigger a cascade of emotions driving you to desire change the same way
experiencing this Syrian girl’s before-and-after did? Although the former
presented more knowledge that educated me in the severity of the issue, the
latter ultimately convicted me of the need for change, and didn’t require any
logical discussion.
Storytelling,
both fiction or not, acts like the emerging approach in physics in that it
incorporates the imagination to explain parts of our world, ultimately
communicating more accurately and profoundly our existence. But most
importantly, it results in conviction,
not simply acknowledgement.
Isaac Feinn, of Louisville, Ky., is a sophomore studying biology and political science.