Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start off by reviewing a propaganda technique we covered earlier this season, Transfer. Ok, if you want to test yourself, hit pause and see if you can remember what Transfer is. Transfer, which is also known as Association, is a propaganda technique that tries to link a person, idea, or object with either a positive or negative symbol in order to influence the audience's perception of the person, idea or object. This can be done through the use of words, images, or other symbolic representations.
If you want to review or hear more about this fallacy, go back & check out Episode 99.
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You may have noticed the title of this episode, ‘What is a Deepity’? And thought, what on earth? I’ve never even heard of a Deepity before! Yeah, me neither, until I recently ran across the term and thought I’d share it with you here. You’ve definitely heard Deepities before, you just didn’t know that’s what they were called. So, this one isn’t necessarily a fallacy, but I thought it would be fun to throw it in here as an episode and teach you how to recognize & think about Deepities.
So, a Deepity is a term used to describe a statement that appears to be deep & profound or meaningful at first glance but, upon closer examination, is actually trivial or meaningless. It is a type of pseudo-profound or pseudo-intellectual statement that may sound profound, and indeed, may have a profound meaning if you think about it long enough & hard enough, but is totally lacking in substance or clear meaning. It’s the type of thing that leaves you thinking, “That sounds deep, but what does it actually mean?”
The answer is: sometimes, nothing.
Here’s an example: Bennett’s high school has a motivational speaker come in to speak to the school assembly. His whole message was around the phrase "You must find yourself before you can be yourself." Bennett thought it sounded cool but still had no idea how to either find or be himself.
Ok, so let’s break this down. At first glance, this statement "You must find yourself before you can be yourself," may sound profound and thought-provoking, encouraging the students to discover themselves. However, upon closer examination, we realize that it’s just a deepity. While it hints at the idea of personal growth and self-awareness, it doesn’t really tell you what to do or how to do it and is not actionable advice for a high schooler. It leaves the concept of "finding yourself" vague and lacks clear guidance on how to achieve it. As you can see, deepities can be deceiving. They may sound profound but in reality, they give very little practical guidance or substantial insights.
Here are some more examples of Deepities. Maybe try hitting pause after each one and think for a minute about why that phrase is considered a Deepity:
1. Que Sera, sera. Which means, ‘What will be will be’.
2. Love is just a word.
3. There is no ‘i’ in team. Ok, what does that mean? No, there’s no I in team and there’s no we or us either, but there is a ‘me’! Now, of course, this phrase is used to get people to work together and be a good teammate, but the saying itself is pretty trivial.
4. And, one that’s being used to push particular gender ideologies is ‘Love is love’.
5. Seriously, take a minute to think through each of these and ask what the ‘philosophical’ message they're trying to communicate is and then ask whether the statement really has any meaning or not.
The term Deepity was first used by Philosopher Daniel Dennett as a combination of the words deep and triviality. And some sources I read said that it was actually a phrase first coined by his teenage daughter’s friend and that he later used it in a book in 2009. Interesting, huh? I thought that was a cute story. Anyways, these days the term Deepity is more commonly used in philosophical & critical thinking circles to identify and analyze statements that appear profound but actually have little or no meaningful information. It’s important to be able to recognize Deepities for what they are is so you don’t get swayed by coy or smart-sounding slogans that, when you take a minute and really think about what they mean, are nothing more than empty word salads that don’t really mean anything.
Let me give you some more examples of Deepities that are used in our culture today, and I encourage you to hit pause after each one and take a minute to think about what makes it a Deepity.
6. "Everything happens for a reason."
7. "Follow your heart, and you'll find your way."
8. "Be yourself; everyone else is taken."
9. "Love conquers all."
10. "Life is a journey, not a destination."
11. "It's the thought that counts."
12. "Time heals all wounds."
13. "Happiness is a choice."
14. "Success is a state of mind."
15. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
So, the question to ask yourself when something sounds like it could be a Deepity is this: “It sounds deep, but what does it really mean?” *repeat*
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
