I'd like to bring out the idea that psychosis and delusions might have evolutionary function. If all humans were infinitely logical and quick to change beliefs upon discovering new, stronger evidence, we wouldn't have a lot of peripheral experimentation and goal seeking behavior. We would all just do whatever is the most logical at the moment, thus technological evolution would be significantly faster. We would probably discover the scientific method 100 thousand years ago. The problem is that this would leave absolutely no space for culture to develop, which is horrifying to say the least... It might be a great filter and the antidote at once. Who knows... but there must be a reason for so much delusional behaviors by so many individuals.
It also might serve a simple psychological function in people with weaker intelligence, I find it's very hard to cope with the simple facts of laws of thermodynamics without becoming a nihilistic piece of shit (for a lot of people).
My views on intelligence and humanity are a bit stranger perhaps. I've argued that humans may be innately less intelligent than other species, like chimpanzees. Instead, we may be inclined to share knowledge, which is far more efficient than raw intellectual processing. Language and knowledge sharing are likely what led us to separate so drastically from other species.
I've also argued that we might have evolved to become less intelligent in certain ways because of the way this helps us socialize and bond. Becoming convinced that we are on the same page is useful for social cohesion. Being too rational might promote disagreement, dissolve cohesion, and promote conflict. People might become more paranoid and selfish too I would imagine.
Another thing to consider is that reality is far stranger than we imagine. Rationality and intelligence don't grant us access to any universal truths. We may not really be capable of finding actual truths about the external world.
An argument that we are selecting against cognitive abilities:
I'd like to bring out the idea that psychosis and delusions might have evolutionary function. If all humans were infinitely logical and quick to change beliefs upon discovering new, stronger evidence, we wouldn't have a lot of peripheral experimentation and goal seeking behavior. We would all just do whatever is the most logical at the moment, thus technological evolution would be significantly faster. We would probably discover the scientific method 100 thousand years ago. The problem is that this would leave absolutely no space for culture to develop, which is horrifying to say the least... It might be a great filter and the antidote at once. Who knows... but there must be a reason for so much delusional behaviors by so many individuals.
It also might serve a simple psychological function in people with weaker intelligence, I find it's very hard to cope with the simple facts of laws of thermodynamics without becoming a nihilistic piece of shit (for a lot of people).
Cheers
My views on intelligence and humanity are a bit stranger perhaps. I've argued that humans may be innately less intelligent than other species, like chimpanzees. Instead, we may be inclined to share knowledge, which is far more efficient than raw intellectual processing. Language and knowledge sharing are likely what led us to separate so drastically from other species.
I've also argued that we might have evolved to become less intelligent in certain ways because of the way this helps us socialize and bond. Becoming convinced that we are on the same page is useful for social cohesion. Being too rational might promote disagreement, dissolve cohesion, and promote conflict. People might become more paranoid and selfish too I would imagine.
Another thing to consider is that reality is far stranger than we imagine. Rationality and intelligence don't grant us access to any universal truths. We may not really be capable of finding actual truths about the external world.
An argument that we are selecting against cognitive abilities:
https://mad.science.blog/2020/02/04/devolution/
Also, on how abstraction is tricking us:
https://mad.science.blog/2018/03/13/abstraction/
Lastly, this is my argument that humans are not necessarily the most intelligent species:
https://mad.science.blog/2017/11/01/a-case-for-animal-superiority/