# Putting Descartes before the horse

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-descartes-horse-vanishes
- Themes: humour, philosophy, teaching
- Life situations: needing a laugh

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A philosophy horse walks into a bar, says 'I think not,' and vanishes — Descartes: I think therefore I am. Punchline: putting Descartes before the horse.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

this was the horse which walked into the bar and the Baran said do you want to drink and the horse said I think not and then vanished disappeared Into Thin Air the horse was a philosophy student he studied dayart in his dayart he used to say I think therefore I am so the horse worked out logically if he doesn't think or he think I'm not or I don't think then he has to disappear I think therefore I am I don't think therefore I'm not so the horse vanished to understand that joke more easily I should have explained about the philosophy first first but that would have been putting daycar before the

## Teaching point

A 'silly' joke can carry a deep teaching — and a terrible pun.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A horse in a bar is asked if he'd like a drink. I think not, he says, and vanishes. Explaining Descartes first would have been putting Descartes before the horse. Ajahn Brahm insists it's deep philosophy. A good joke opens the mind for bigger questions, like what really matters and what enlightenment is.

## Source

- [Simple Happiness and Contentment | Ajahn Brahm | 7 February 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7keCxXJf18) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 14:06 to 15:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7keCxXJf18&t=846s

Other tellings of this story:

- [DN15: Mahanidana Sutta - The Great Discourse on Causation (part 1) | Ajahn Brahm | 8 May 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j08UKD5dPp4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 44:27 to 44:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j08UKD5dPp4&t=2667s