The Real Goal of Storytelling (Hint: It’s Not Being Right) | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

Ken Burns discusses his approach to documentary filmmaking, emphasizing that history, like life, is complicated. He believes that while humans strive to simplify the world for understanding and a sense of belonging, they must also accept and live with its inherent complexity. His work aims to present multiple perspectives, challenging preconceived notions and offering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of historical events. Burns explains that filmmaking is a process of subtraction, where 500 hours of footage might be condensed to 12. This simplification is not about ignoring complexity but about revealing the mystery of life. He likens it to music, where the intervals between notes create the melody, or film, where the cuts between shots create the story. The phrase "it's complicated" hangs in his editing room, reflecting this philosophy. He addresses the challenge of objectivity in documentaries, stating that complete objectivity is impossible. Instead, filmmakers operate on degrees of subjectivity. Burns aims to approach each project with a "blank slate," avoiding imposing personal beliefs or subscribing to specific historiographical fashions. This means being willing to destabilize a perfectly working scene with new, contradictory information. He argues against the binary thinking prevalent in media and computer culture, where everything is reduced to good or bad, yes or no. Life, he asserts, is full of complicated things, and holding contradictions is essential, as "sometimes a thing and the opposite of a thing are true at the same time." Burns applies this idea to historical figures like George Washington, acknowledging his role as a slave owner while also recognizing his indispensable contribution to the founding of the country. He stresses the importance of telling a good story, not to force a particular viewpoint, but to offer a range of complexity that allows viewers to engage with contradictions. His team spends years ensuring accuracy, even re-editing films to include a "perhaps" if new scholarly information emerges, prioritizing truth over a perfectly crafted narrative. When asked how he chooses stories to tell, Burns responds that stories "need to be told" to explore the human condition. He references Shakespeare's characters, who are deeply flawed, and Keats' concept of "negative capability" – the ability to hold strengths and weaknesses in tension without deciding. This approach, he argues, leads to more interesting and empathetic narratives. Addressing the current binary nature of society, Burns acknowledges that humans often romanticize the past and exaggerate the negativity of the present. He believes the tendency to make things binary is a simplification rooted in a desire for easy explanations, even though people accept complexity in most other aspects of their lives. He emphasizes that there is only "us," not "them," and that authoritarians and news media often exploit binary thinking for political gain or simple conflict narratives. Reflecting on America's recurring mistakes, Burns quotes Ecclesiastes, "What has been will be again... There's nothing new under the sun," implying that human nature remains constant. He differentiates between historical events, which never repeat, and human behavior, which does. He notes that people are often prisoners of others' opinions, which can escalate to a state level, leading to decisions based on perceived weakness. He introduces James Carse's concept of finite and infinite games. Finite games have known players, fixed rules, and agreed-upon objectives, with a clear beginning, middle, and end (e.g., football, conventional warfare). Infinite games have known and unknown players, changeable rules, and the objective is to perpetuate the game. Burns argues that many aspects of life, including global politics, health, and careers, are infinite games, yet people often play them with a finite mindset, leading to destruction of trust, cooperation, and innovation. He illustrates this with the Vietnam War, highlighting how American leaders like McNamara approached it with a finite mindset, seeking a quantifiable win condition, while the Vietnamese played an infinite game, aiming to survive and endure. Burns cites historical moments, such as the OSS helping Ho Chi Minh in 1945 and Ho Chi Minh quoting Thomas Jefferson in his declaration of independence, to show missed opportunities and the tragic consequences of misinterpreting the nature of the conflict. He points out that America, as the first anti-colonial movement, inspired similar movements globally, despite its own internal contradictions like slavery. Regarding his focus on American history, Burns states that he is interested in understanding "who are we?" as a nation. He believes each film deepens this question without providing a definitive answer. He is currently working on projects about Reconstruction and LBJ's domestic policies, seeking to understand complex and tragic existences. Burns quotes Lincoln's December 1862 address, emphasizing that "we cannot escape history" and "the dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present." Lincoln's vision of America as the "last best hope of earth" and his ability to hold both Old Testament fury and New Testament charity encapsulates the American character. He argues that America "invented this thing" – putting Enlightenment thinking into practice, creating citizens out of subjects, and pursuing happiness as lifelong learning and increased virtue. He cites Gerald Early's prediction that 2,000 years from now, America will be known for the Constitution, baseball, and jazz music, all embodying improvisational genius and a striving for a "more perfect union." Burns acknowledges the irony of celebrating American independence on July 4, 1776, when the war continued for years and the nation's government wasn't established until much later. He sees this as a reflection of America's "naive optimism" – celebrating the day it decided it wanted independence, not the day it achieved it. He cautions against broad generalizations about American qualities, noting that similar dedication and improvisation can be found in other cultures. While recognizing a distinct "Americanness," he warns against the "trap of exceptionalism," which can lead to the belief of being a priori right and committing "horrible sins." He stresses the importance of recognizing differences without assuming superiority, fostering communication among equals. Finally, Burns returns to the core idea of complexity, acknowledging that while he simplifies history to tell a story, he remains deeply aware of the 500 hours of footage that inform a 12-hour film. This process of subtraction, he explains, is what allows for empathy and a deeper understanding of human behavior, preventing the reductionist thinking that sees the world in black and white. He concludes that embracing both simplicity for understanding and the underlying complexity is essential for navigating life and history.