Object Permanence · 12:16am Nov 24th, 2017
Object Permanence is a relatively simple concept: It is the understanding that, even if you no longer see something, it still exists. We aren't born with an understanding of this concept. We typically don't develop this understanding until we're two years old. This lack of an understanding is why babies treat Peakaboo as the most amazing magic trick ever, and why babies become upset when they can't see their parents: If they can't see things, they don't exist.
Why am I bringing this up here?
Simple. Because Celestia, and Equestria in general, lack a basic understanding of this concept.
Alright, so hear me out: Barring Nightmare Moon, there's not been a single situation where Equestria has taken steps to make sure that, when a great evil returns, they have a means of stopping it before it returns. If the threat is no longer immediate, and visible, it is treated as though it no longer exists. Sealing doesn't remove the problem, it just delays it. A society with the ability to seal things away for a thousand years should be better prepared to deal with those problems one thousand years later.
So why are they caught flat-footed every single time these evils return? Well, here's a fun fact for you: Horses have zero understanding of Object Permanence. If a horse is scared of entering a trailer, blindfold it, and the horse will enter it without any problems. If they get spooked, blindfold them and they calm down. If they can't see or hear it, it doesn't exist.
So, if you consider this simple fact about horses, and apply it to ponies, suddenly things make a scary kind of sense. Why would Equestria know about Griffins and Griffinstone, but be ignorant of the fact that the country has been in collapse for decades? Well, no one can see Griffinstone from Equestria, so it only 'exists' when someone is there to see it. Same with the recent movie: The villain is a guy who has conquered one-third of the planet. No one knows he even exists until he's literally on their doorstep. Why? Well, until the ponies saw him, he didn't 'exist'. The changelings invaded Equestria once, then were completely forgotten after they were forcibly removed (Barring the Ponyville wedding) until one was spotted in the Crystal Empire. That's because, once they were ejected, they no longer 'existed'.
Has anyone made a story about the idea that Ponies lack Object Permanence? Just wondering.
huh i did not know that was a thing i mean i knew about the blind fold thing but I didnt know it had a name
side not when are you gonna up date i am the king of equestria and how to pass as a evil overlord
I have thought about this fact a lot, as i know a lot of people who have disorders that include "lack of object permanence" as a symptom.
Ponykind specifically seems to have a form of selective object dispermanence. Emotional bonds or talent-based relationships to ponies or objects will allow for mental tracking in the form of object permanence, but ONLY under those conditions.
Wow, that explains pretty much most of the problems of ponies and Equestria. I would’ve never thought to compare irl horses with MLP ponies as both have too many differences to consider to compare.
Thanks for the intriguing post matey
Becoming Auntie Celestia has a throwaway bit where Shining Armor exploits the little-known fact that Twilight Sparkle has no object permanence, to reset a failed approach and trick her into pursuing a line of investigation into a problem he's having with Cadance.
it should be known that there is a difference between no object permance and object dispermanence.
no object permanence = peekaboo is a magic trick where hands make the face cease to exist and then recreate the face from nothing. "Face" and "Hands" are recognized as discrete objects.
object dispermanence = peekaboo is a magic trick where hands literally replace the face as the face and then the face replaces the hands as the face. "Face" and "Hands" are not recognized as discrete objects.
Sooooo much about no one in Manehattan recognizing one of their Princesses makes so much sense now.
I hate to break it to you, but humans are this stupid too.
4733824
Believe me, I know.
nerfnow.com/img/2207/3457.png
I think this concept would be great as a crack fic, and there is no one I can think of who could do this idea justice more than you. Please bring this concept to it's full potential!
https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/7gui3i/attention_span/
Unfortunately I am king of Equestria seems to feature an amount of ponies lacking the concept of object permanence where as the protagonist has already displayed some, (at least if my memory is working) in that he has at least one thought as to whether the Real Sombra still exists.