1) I came across an advice-column letter whose writer had a 10-year-old who still believed in Santa Claus, on the grounds that parents wouldn't lie to their children. That was kind of devastating. What do you say to such a child? I'd suggest explaining Santa as a "let's pretend" game. Which fits with Santa as a liminal figure between real and imaginary. If I were posed the 8-point "real/not real" test, I'd be hard put where to classify dinosaurs. They used to be real, but they're not any more. (Ignoring the fad for classifying birds as dinosaurs.)
2) For years - decades! - I've wondered why, if American Jews eat Chinese food at Christmas, my Jewish family never heard of any such custom. And now, the answer to that question: it's because my ancestors never lived in New York City.
4) If Kermit is an actor playing Bob Cratchit, does a similar metaphysics explain how Mickey Mouse somehow became the apprentice of a medieval sorcerer?
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If I were posed the 8-point "real/not real" test, I'd be hard put where to classify dinosaurs. They used to be real, but they're not any more. (Ignoring the fad for classifying birds as dinosaurs.)
2) For years - decades! - I've wondered why, if American Jews eat Chinese food at Christmas, my Jewish family never heard of any such custom. And now, the answer to that question: it's because my ancestors never lived in New York City.
4) If Kermit is an actor playing Bob Cratchit, does a similar metaphysics explain how Mickey Mouse somehow became the apprentice of a medieval sorcerer?