This is a story about three monkeys, one of reason and two of faith. With his native curiosity, Reasoning Monkey had figured out how to escape the zoo and open the zoo keeper's car door. The two monkeys of faith, Religious Monkey and Invisible Hand Monkey followed him. Reasoning Monkey figured out how to get the car out of the park, and as the car began to roll, all the monkeys cheered their newfound mobility with excited voices, somersaulting and jumping before the changing scenes; it was great fun!
But as the velocity grew, Reasoning Monkey became concerned and suggested that perhaps they needed to learn how to control the car—maybe even slow it down. But the monkeys of faith were not at all concerned.
You see, one believed that the world and everything that happened in it was under the direction of an omnipotent Sky Monkey. Accordingly, either no disaster would befall them, or if it did, it was preordained, and all the monkeys of faith, like himself, would ascend to where Sky Monkey lived. Either way, there was no responsibility and no point in being concerned.
The Invisible Hand Monkey had a different faith. He believed that as long as every monkey looked after his own immediate interests, the "invisible hand" of the marketplace would automatically look after the collective interests.
Besides, the sanguine monkeys of faith reasoned that nothing untoward had happened yet in their joint ventures. Well, of course, it had many times in other contexts, but they clung to their beliefs anyway, as faith necessarily blinds reason.
So confirmed in his faith was Invisible Hand Monkey that as the pace of the vehicle continued to quicken, he convinced Religious Monkey that they should work together to prevent Reasoning Monkey from trying to alter the course of the vehicle or even to look outside. After all, it would interfere with the invisible hand for Reasoning Monkey to try to slow or steer the car. Furthermore, Invisible Hand Monkey noted in ominous air addressed to Religious Monkey, "We mustn't monkey with Sky Monkey's plans, now should we?!"
Reasoning Monkey, with increasing alarm, did his best to convince the other two that it was necessary to think about the future; that having used reason to change their condition, they must also use it to address the consequences of that change. But the monkeys of faith covered their eyes and ears to not see what was coming or hear what Reasoning Monkey had to say. Instead, they ran their mouths, incessantly issuing the professions of their respective faiths to drown out Reasoning Monkey's arguments and protect their comfortable faith-based views of reality.
So down the hill, they rolled, faster and faster, yelling and arguing, two believing instead of thinking. It's not a pretty thought, but it could be worse. Instead of three monkeys in a car, it could be eight billion people on a planet.
