David Deutsch has introduced a phenomenon he calls "The Pattern," referring to the persistent, cross-cultural tendency to legitimize harming Jews. In his recent conversation with Sam Harris on the Making Sense podcast, Deutsch notably resisted providing explicit reasons for this recurring antisemitism, asserting that all stated justifications are inherently post-hoc rationalizations. Deutsch emphasizes the troubling universality and recurrence of antisemitic sentiment, challenging listeners to reconsider why such irrational hostility repeatedly manifests throughout history without stable or logical causation.
Introducing the Schelling Point
A Schelling point—named after economist Thomas Schelling—is a focal solution or point of coordination in the absence of explicit communication. Schelling points arise because of their salience, historical precedent, or perceived obviousness. They become "natural" points of convergence for collective actions or beliefs, independent of their initial rationality or logic. For example, when two strangers plan to meet in New York City without specifying a place, they often choose iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building, purely because such points are culturally salient and historically reinforced.
The Pattern as a Social Attractor
Applying this concept, we can view antisemitism—the Pattern—as a perverse social Schelling point. Once a group has historically become a scapegoat—potentially due to arbitrary or random events—it forms a cultural and historical reference point for future scapegoating. With repeated use, this coordination becomes increasingly robust and self-perpetuating. Each instance of antisemitism, regardless of its initial reason or rationalization, reinforces the focal point, making future occurrences more likely. This creates a deeply ingrained social attractor, drawing collective hostility towards a familiar, albeit irrational, target.
Self-Reinforcement and Post-Hoc Rationalizations
Understood this way, antisemitism's lack of consistent rational underpinnings makes perfect sense. The justifications for antisemitic acts shift dramatically across cultures and eras—accusing Jews of being simultaneously too powerful and too weak, too wealthy and too poor, too assimilated and too insular. These contradictions demonstrate that the logic is not primary. Rather, society has implicitly coordinated on scapegoating Jews, making the specific reasons for such scapegoating merely convenient post-hoc rationalizations. Each new rationalization gains plausibility precisely because the social environment already predisposes individuals to accept such claims without rigorous scrutiny, perpetuating the pattern through implicit consensus rather than explicit, reasoned argumentation.
Historical and Cultural Dynamics
Throughout history, societies encountering internal stresses—economic downturns, political instability, social fragmentation—often default to scapegoating familiar targets. Jews, historically positioned as outsiders within many societies, became a convenient focal point. This dynamic was observed in medieval Europe during the Black Death, in early 20th-century Europe during economic turmoil, and continues into contemporary conspiracy theories. The historical recurrence and cultural reinforcement of antisemitism illustrate its function as a deeply embedded Schelling point, activating almost automatically in response to societal pressures.
Breaking the Coordination
If antisemitism is indeed a Schelling point, it implies that conventional strategies—such as logical debunking or education—while essential, might never fully dismantle it. The primary challenge isn't simply refuting irrational justifications; it's disrupting the very coordination mechanism that makes antisemitism a natural focal point. Addressing antisemitism, therefore, involves not just confronting falsehoods but actively displacing and replacing the pathological coordination itself. Efforts should focus on creating alternative Schelling points—new social norms, shared values, or cultural narratives—that encourage coordination around positive rather than harmful collective actions.
Strategies for Disrupting Antisemitism
Effective disruption might include reinforcing universal human rights narratives, fostering inclusive identities, or deliberately promoting alternative focal points for collective grievance, such as corruption or systemic injustice, rather than arbitrary and harmful scapegoating. Additionally, active interventions through public discourse, media representations, and education could gradually weaken the historical reinforcement of antisemitism as a default social attractor, thereby diminishing its automatic activation during societal crises.
Conclusion
Framing Deutsch’s Pattern as a Schelling point enriches our understanding of why antisemitism remains resilient and recurrent. It shows clearly why the phenomenon resists purely logical interventions: it’s embedded not in reason, but in a deeply entrenched, self-reinforcing coordination. Recognizing this might guide more effective strategies in combating antisemitism—and offers profound insights into addressing other deeply ingrained societal prejudices. By comprehensively addressing the underlying social dynamics and actively reshaping collective coordination mechanisms, societies may begin to dismantle the Pattern, reducing the risk of its pernicious recurrence.
References
Schelling, Thomas C. (1960). The Strategy of Conflict. Harvard University Press.