Hume was quite right to question causation,
Although he may not have gone far enough.
The myth of causation evolved from a bug
In culture caused, so to speak, by a feature
Of human psychology that helped lead
To culture through language technologies,
But of course that’s all nonsense. Thing was,
Humans, like all clever creatures, could track
Sequential correlations pretty closely: this
Kind of an event was often followed by this
Other kind of event. Reliable patterns made
Useful predictions, although our pattern
Detectors, like any lab rat’s, were sensitive
And, as we’ve more recently learned, easily
Tricked. So far, nothing special. But humans
Had another feature that evolved from our
Peculiar form of opportunistically inimical
And collaborative group-forming sociality.
Our ancestors’ core social technology,
And thus ours, was morality, was gossip, was
Guilt. The assignation of guilt required
The invention of responsibility, responsibility
Required causation. So that’s what we did.
We invented you did it. Now, a body can’t
Even sit on a balcony on a hot but peaceful
Desert evening high above suburban sprawl
Without wondering why that pizza delivery
Girl down there practices her Drake moves
While she waits by the waterfall for her tip,
Presumably presuming she’s unobserved?
A motorcyclist rumbling by gives her a wave.
A squad car pulls up and waits, but for what?
Eventually a tall man in shorts and white tee
Walks up to the squad car, and the officer gets
Out. They shake hands and then walk away
Down a bike path along a dry wash and vanish.
The pizza delivery girl dances back into her car.
Somebody walks a leashed and straining dog
Whose ancestors surely were wolves in the night.
Sirens rise and fall somewhere, just out of sight.
When you aren’t looking, the cop car drives away.
How did we get here? What who to credit blame?
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