Not dumb, no. Mistaken about the way the world works, yes. I don't think it is an unkind thing to take any constructive opportunity possible to disabuse people of belief in the supernatural. In fact, it seems a kind thing to challenge that kind of thinking.

This is actually quite like what happens in The War with the Newts.

One of his saddest, and one of his favorites.

I believe that analyzing the motion of a pendulum is par for the course in introductory college physics.

Not an accepted theory — or even a well-developed concept — but it certainly bears resemblance to the ideas laid out by Wolfram in his "A New Kind of Science".

Knowing is half the battle.

Shades here of Marshall Brain's "Manna", as at [en.wikipedia.org]