Outwitting Logic and Magic:
Introduction
This story, adapted from a Sufi teaching tale, is a window into the wisdom of the mystics of the Middle East and beyond. While Sufism is most closely associated with Islam, it has also resonated with Christian, Jewish, and Hindu traditions.
Teaching stories like this often feature the wily and wise Mulla Nasrudin, a “holy fool” whose antics shine a light on human nature. These stories were popularised in the 20th century by writer Idries Shah.
Idries Shah
Here, we explore the clash between rigid logical thinking and magical, superstitious thinking, while hinting at a balanced middle ground. We introduce Ken Wilber’s concept of the “pre-trans fallacy” in the afterward. This isa framework for understanding how developing rational thought is essential for transcending it effectively.
A Sufi Tale of Hidden Wisdom
The Propaganda Villain Discredits the Intellect
A cunning villain was given the responsibility of educating orphans. His true mission was to teach them self-sufficiency but he saw it as an opportunity for control. (The villain is a bit like our egos)
Instead of teaching the children to think for themselves, he claimed they already had all the knowledge they needed. He discouraged deeper reflection or learning from others. He told them that they only needed to follow their feelings and intuition. But he taught them nothing about either feelings or intuition and these children just followed their fantasies and impulses
As they grew these children developed incomprehensible doctrines purporting to explain the hidden mechanism of life. He demanded obedience and discouraged questions, ensuring most of them remained reliant on him. Today, we can find these types of people amongst new age conspiracy theorists.
As these children matured, some escaped the villain’s influence, while others remained trapped.
The Villian Flip-Flops: Intellect is King
Disappointed with that outcome, the villain tried his lot with a second group of orphans and he changed his tactics. His purpose was still to maintain absolute control. He told these orphans that mental mastery was the sole purpose of education, appealing to their pride. “The mind,” he said, “will give you universal understanding.” The children accepted this as truth, trusting that intellect alone could solve all problems.
To support his claims, he showcased the extremes: a man “enslaved by emotions,” which he condemned as disastrous, and a man ruled by intellect, whom he praised as calm and free. The villain pointed to the superstitious delusions of the first group as an example intuition. He dismissed intuition altogether, branding it mere coincidence or guesswork. He knew that true intuition, was the key to freedom, but by ridiculing or ignoring it, he kept this second group of children firmly within his control.
Today we can find this group among some university professors who desperately cling to discredited old paradigms claiming that logic and science support their stance.
The Villain Bamboozles Those who Start to See through Him
Despite his efforts, some of these children began to question the gaps in his teachings. They noticed miraculous events and phenomena that didn’t fit into his rigid framework. When they asked about these mysteries, the villain gave contradictory answers. To one group, he dismissed their observations as superstitions caused by faulty thinking: “Coincidence is nothing more than accident, and it holds no intellectual significance.” To another, he hinted at hidden truths, saying, “Yes, there is more to life than you can know, but you can find it through the scientific methods I’ve taught you.”
He ensured the two groups never compared notes, preventing them from realizing his duplicity. Whenever they reported inexplicable events, he dismissed these as irrelevant, ensuring their questions faded into obscurity.
Over time, the villain introduced distractions to keep the children occupied—trends, competitions, and fleeting amusements. These served as palliatives, preventing them from sensing what they were missing. The children, like a monkey clutching a crabapple in a narrow jar, were trapped by their rigid beliefs, unable to let go and free themselves.
Enter the Antidote: Mulla Nasrudin
Yet, whispers of deeper truths persisted. Mulla Nasrudin emerged as the “fool who is no fool,” using humour and paradox to challenge assumptions and hint at hidden wisdom. His teachings encouraged the children to explore beyond the villain’s narrow framework, blending logic, emotion, and intuition into a balanced and liberated approach to life.
Nasrudin’s Teaching Stories: Wit with a Purpose
Nasrudin’s tales are the perfect mix of irreverence, silliness, and wisdom. They often work like a cheeky slap on the wrist, exposing the absurdity of common logical missteps. Mullah Nasrudin, known for his playful absurdity, is often depicted riding his donkey backwards—a fitting image for a man whose wisdom leaps out when you least expect it.
Much like a spotlight breaking the spell of a hypnotist, these stories can snap us out of the illusions crafted by manipulative figures—like the villain in the tale of the orphans.
Story 1: Searching Under the Streetlamp
Late one night, Nasrudin’s friend found him crawling on his hands and knees under a streetlamp.
“What are you doing?” asked the puzzled friend.
“I’m looking for a ring I dropped,” Nasrudin replied earnestly.
The friend, ever practical, asked where Nasrudin had dropped it. “Fifty meters down the road,” the Mulla admitted.
“Then why aren’t you looking there?”
“Because it’s dark down there! I’m searching here where the light is,” Nasrudin replied, perfectly matter-of-fact.
Story 2: Scaring Off the Tigers
Nasrudin’s friend noticed a heap of empty whisky bottles in front of his house and couldn’t resist asking about them.
“They’re to scare away tigers,” Nasrudin declared confidently.
“But there aren’t any tigers around here!” the friend exclaimed.
“Exactly!” said Nasrudin with a grin. “See how well it works?”
The Lesson
On the surface, these tales are just absurd jokes. Yet, they slyly reveal our tendency to cling to comfortable but flawed logic or to dismiss cause-and-effect relationships that don’t hold up to scrutiny.
Ironically, villains and rigid thinkers often miss the point entirely, brushing these stories off as shallow or “smart-alecky.”
But for the rest of us, they serve as gentle nudges toward clearer, more critical thinking—and maybe a good chuckle along the way. And the bonus is that they shake up rigid illogical patterns of thinking which allows space for true intuition.
Afterward – Ken Wilber’s “Pre-Trans Fallacy”
Ken Wilber’s theory of the “pre-trans fallacy” sheds light on the story’s themes. He identifies three developmental stages: the pre-rational (childlike magical thinking), the rational (logical, scientific reasoning), and the trans-rational (a return to intuitive wisdom, grounded in rationality).
Magical thinking, while charming, can be dangerous when unchecked, as seen in extreme examples like the Heaven’s Gate cult.
Pre-Rational: Capricious Fantasy is Not Intuitive Insight
The Heaven’s Gate Cult – Emotion and Intuition Unbridled
The Heaven’s Gate cult is often cited as a chilling example of the dangers of ungrounded, magical thinking. This group, led by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, became infamous in 1997 when 39 of its members died in a mass suicide, believing their deaths would transport them to a higher plane of existence.
The Beliefs of Heaven’s Gate
Heaven’s Gate combined elements of science fiction, New Age spirituality, and Christian eschatology (beliefs about the end of the world). Members believed that Earth was destined for “recycling,” a term they used to describe its destruction and renewal. To escape this fate, they sought to evolve into a higher, non-corporeal form of being. They called this “next-level existence,” which they believed would be free from human flaws like greed, disease, and death.
Their theology was heavily influenced by UFO beliefs. Applewhite taught that salvation could only be achieved by shedding their physical bodies (“vehicles”) to join a spacecraft traveling behind the Hale-Bopp comet, which they believed was a celestial sign of their destined departure.
Recruitment and Lifestyle
The group attracted followers by promising spiritual transformation and liberation from a corrupt world. Members lived an ascetic lifestyle, renouncing material possessions, family connections, and personal identities. They adhered to strict rules, including celibacy, communal living, and dietary restrictions. Many even adopted androgynous appearances to symbolize the transcendence of earthly desires.
The Mass Suicide
As the Hale-Bopp comet approached Earth in 1997, Applewhite claimed it was the final signal for their departure. He convinced his followers that their souls would ascend to the “next level” by leaving their physical bodies. Over three days, the group carried out a carefully planned mass suicide in a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. They ingested a lethal mixture of phenobarbital and vodka, followed by suffocation using plastic bags.
The members were dressed identically in black clothing, new Nike sneakers, and armbands reading “Heaven’s Gate Away Team,” echoing science fiction terminology. Each body was neatly covered with a purple shroud, reflecting their belief in order and purpose even in death.
Cultural and Psychological Impact
The Heaven’s Gate tragedy shocked the world and became a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked charismatic leadership and magical thinking. Critics have pointed to how the group’s rigid beliefs, combined with isolation and psychological manipulation, created an environment where members could not critically evaluate their leader’s claims.
Their website, remarkably, is still operational, maintained by former members who did not participate in the suicide. It serves as a haunting reminder of their beliefs and the dangers of following unexamined ideologies. You can view it at www.heavensgate.com.
Heaven’s Gate remains a poignant example of what Ken Wilber refers to as the “pre-rational” stage of development. The group’s magical thinking—completely untethered from rationality—resulted in catastrophic consequences. It illustrates the importance of grounding spiritual or mystical experiences in reason to avoid falling prey to delusions.
Enter “Rationality” Beware Scientism
Rationality provides a necessary foundation, emphasizing logic and evidence-based thinking. However, some people become stuck in a rigid “scientism,” mistaking their limited logic for the ultimate truth. However, they are blind to the superstitious assumptions embedded in their approach. For example, the double-blind trial is often held up as being the best possible form of empirical research. That is despite the fact that it is often inapplicable and it is terrible at revealing new insights. Open ended investigations are much better for that.
Transrational: Transcending and Including Rationality
True trans-rational thinkers, by contrast, have mastered rationality and can transcend it, integrating intuition without abandoning reality. They may seem similar to magical thinkers but operate on a far deeper level. Nasrudin’s tales embody this trans-rational wisdom, offering a playful guide to embracing intuition and logic in harmony.
Wilber reminds us: magical thinking isn’t the goal, and regressing to it can be dangerous—don’t get “Hale-Bopped”! The real wisdom lies in moving beyond superstition and logic to an intuitive understanding that is both grounded and expansive.