Dear Editor
Why have the societal infections of the modern world been growing and getting deadlier?
It surely comes down to human nature. We never evolved to cope with information flows perhaps hundreds of times greater than throughout our history. Our brains are dominated by a fast, powerful emotional control room evolved for survival. This gets first shot at forming our reactions and beliefs. Under an onslaught of information we are pressured to react in ways we would not if we thought about it, but even worse end up forming beliefs that even a little thought would negate.
The unique logical power of the human brain is much slower and more submissive in comparison, and easily overwhelmed. It has had a much shorter evolution and I guess is nowhere near fully formed. Logic has to be engaged deliberately. Call it critical thinking or common sense or just ‘sleeping on it’. It does not seem to be strong in many people but experience shows that it can be taught even in adults, and it can be unlearned to make even intelligent people susceptible to stupidity.
Mike Gill
Hampshire
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