You might want to read “The Intentional Stance” by Daniel Dennett, a philosophical treatise basically on how we usefully ascribe desire or intention to inanimate objects and phenomena as a mental model (for example, saying that “The thermostat tries to keep the temperature between 20 and 30”).

(This is not a comment on the precession video itself, which haven’t clicked on)

I’m well aware of this manner of speaking. Everyone is. If you did look at what I was commenting on (not a video) you might agree that its use in that case doesn’t help, at all. Or not.

I’ll look up the Dennett article, thanks.

I haven't read the Dennett article but in this specific context, "desire" just seems like a simple proxy for momentum. What am I missing?

I agree.

I don't see how this is not magical thinking but the rules of arithmetic are.