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An Interview with a Dragon - Part I: How Dragons Have Remained Hidden

In April of last year, I had the good fortune of being able to interview a real dragon. This constitutes a great breakthrough in Dragonology research, as the dragon interviewed here answers many pressing questions that have been plaguing dragonologists for centuries.

Dr. Vanderford Ryerson: Good evening. Thank you for agreeing to do this.

Anonymous Dragon: My pleasure. Good evening to you, sir.

Dr. Vanderford Ryerson: So here I am with you, sipping cognac and 'shooting the breeze' as it were.

Anonymous Dragon: Indeed.

VR: Yes, well, it seems so normal and natural, but to most people - if you'll pardon me for saying this - most people don't believe you and your kin even exist.

AD: This is true.

VR: Well, how is it that you dragons have kept so well-hidden throughout the years?

AD: This is a good question, and to really understand the reasons behind it, we have to consider this idea of ridiculousness. Do you remember what Socrates said about those who are ridiculous?

VR: Indeed. Socrates said that the ridiculous person is one who believes that he or she has more wealth, beauty, or wisdom that he or she actually does, and who is generally harmless.

AD: Well, let's just say that humans think they know more than they actually do [present company excluded of course], and are thus ridiculously ignorant when it comes to dragons and other related matters.

VR: In what way do you mean? I'm not sure I follow how this relates.

AD: When I say that humans think they know more than they actually do, I mean that they tend to have egos about what they know and what they don't know, and about what is possible and what is not possible. When the masses have been so thoroughly convinced that dragons such as myself do not exist, they would not believe they were seeing one, even if they were conducting this very interview themselves.

VR: I see. So we could almost invert the old adage to say, "They won't see dragons until they believe in them." As opposed to "They won't believe in them until they see them."

AD: Yes.

VR