The Parasitic Mind

Several years ago, when I realized that idea pathogens were causing more and more people to reject reality, I coined the term Ostrich Parasitic Syndrome (OPS). Here’s how I defined this dreadful attack on reason:

This disorder causes a person to reject realities that are otherwise as clear as the existence of gravity. Sufferers of OPS do not believe their lying eyes. They construct an alternate reality known as Unicornia. In such a world, science, reason, rules of causality, evidentiary thresholds, a near-infinite amount of data, data analytic procedures, inferential statistics, the epistemological rules inherent to the scientific method, rules of logic, historical patterns, daily patterns, and common sense
are all rejected. Instead, the delusional ramblings of an OPS sufferer are rooted in illusory correlations, non-existent causal links, and feel-good progressive platitudes. Ostrich Logic is always delivered via an air of haughty moral superiority.14

Niall Ferguson, the Harvard historian, proposed “Six Killer Apps” that define the greatness of the West, namely competition, scientific revolution, property rights, modern medicine, consumer society, and work ethic.