Mesopotamians Would've Used Sheep's Liver To Predict Trump's Odds

11/4/2024 7:06:29 PM

(MENAFN- Asia Times) I'm standing in a basement kitchen prodding at a sheep's liver, looking for marks on its smooth surface. People crowd around to film the proceedings, since I'm here to ask a question that everyone wants to know the answer to: will Donald trump win the US election?

I'm following instructions that were first written down by the ancient Babylonians 4,000 years ago and still survive today. Every crease on the liver has a meaning, and cuneiform tablets discovered in modern-day Iraq explain how to interpret them.

Armed with this knowledge, it's possible to calculate the answer to any question, so long as it is yes or no, by adding up the numbers of positive and negative signs and seeing which sum comes out on top.

Since this liver had an overwhelming number of bad omens in it, I concluded that it declared no for Trump this time. In 2016 this method predicted a win well before he had won the Republican nomination, and in 2020 foretold that he would not be reelected that year.

What started as an entertaining talk for a university open day has since become a serious part of my research – not because I sincerely believe in it, but because it gives us some of the earliest evidence in history for how human beings reason and think.

Looking at livers also makes a serious underlying point about how humans have coped with uncertainty throughout history, and still struggle to today. People have developed techniques as varied as astrology, tarot cards and even peering into entrails in response to the agony of not knowing, or the strain of trying to make a difficult decision.

MENAFN04112024000159011032ID1108850341

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.