Scene: A late summer evening on a café terrace in Lyon. They’re sipping wine under a clear sky.
Sophie (pointing excitedly at the sky): “Julien! Did you see that? A shooting star! Quick, cross your fingers! Make a wish!”
Julien (chuckling as he sips his wine): “Sophie, you know crossing my fingers won’t change the trajectory of my life, right? That’s just a meteor burning up in the atmosphere.”
Sophie (half-whispering, half-scolding): “Shhh! Don’t ruin it! You have to believe, or it won’t work.”
Julien (grinning): “Ah, so it’s conditional magic now? Only works if you believe?”
Sophie (grinning back): “Well, obviously. Positive energy, my dear!” (she closes her eyes dramatically) “Okay, I wished. Did you?”
Julien: “No, I was busy watching you stage-manage the cosmos.”
Sophie: “Oh, come on, Julien! Don’t you have anything you want? Even just for fun?”
Julien (leaning back, thoughtful): “Sure, I want things. But I prefer working toward them or… you know, relying on probability and effort, rather than expecting a rock in space to grant wishes.”
Sophie (playfully rolling her eyes): “You’re such a scientist. You take the magic out of everything.”
Julien: “I’m not anti-magic! I just like to know where the magic comes from. Look, people have been wishing on shooting stars for centuries, but that’s because they didn’t understand what they were. Now we know—it’s just a natural phenomenon. Beautiful, yes. But not a cosmic post office for our wishes.”
Sophie (laughing): “Cosmic post office! That’s cute. But listen—when I was little, I wished on a shooting star that my grandma would get better from her cold, and the next day, she was better. You can’t tell me that’s just coincidence!”
Julien (smiling kindly): “Sophie, you know colds usually clear up in a few days anyway, right? Maybe you just happened to wish on the third day.”
Sophie (smirking): “Ah, but why did I feel like it worked? There’s something comforting about believing the universe is on your side.”
Julien: “That’s fair. I think it’s perfectly human to look for patterns and meaning—it gives us a sense of control. But here’s the thing: when good things happen, you remember the wish; when they don’t, you quietly forget. That’s what we call confirmation bias.”
Sophie: “Julien, you and your ‘biases’! Honestly, sometimes I think you need a little more imagination.”
Julien (grinning): “And sometimes I think you need a little more skepticism. Imagine if pilots navigated planes with crossed fingers instead of instruments.”
Sophie: “Well, I wouldn’t get on that flight, believe me.”
Julien: “Exactly! Because deep down, you do trust evidence and expertise when it counts.”
Sophie (thoughtful, swirling her glass): “Mmm… okay, maybe. But you know what? My little rituals make me happy. Crossing my fingers gives me hope. Wishing on stars makes me feel connected to something bigger.”
Julien (nodding): “And that’s completely fine—as long as you know where the line is. Believe in your lucky stars, just don’t bet your rent money on them.”
Sophie (grinning): “Deal. But if you ever secretly wish on a star, you have to tell me.”
Julien (mock solemn): “I promise. Though if the Large Hadron Collider grants me a wish, you’re the first to know.”
Sophie (laughing): “Ha! See, you do have a sense of magic in you.”
Julien (raising his glass): “To science, stars, and superstition—may we always argue over wine.”
Sophie (clinking glasses): “Cheers to that, mon ami!”
[End scene]
Science Vs Superstition 
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