Perhaps there is an answer after all...

[KB_Texas]

I have wondered why so many people seem to be sucked in to 'edge' thinking. Deniers, conspiracy theory's, far left or right ideology, to the point of the ridiculous and in the face of facts. It seems it may well be evolution, or devolution in this case.

The study, published today (Nov. 12) in the journal Trends in Genetics, argues that humans lost the evolutionary pressure to be smart once we started living in dense agricultural settlements several thousand years ago.

http://www.livescience.com/24713-humans ... gence.html

Basically, the theory states that the MAJORITY of people no longer have the need to be smart, so they 'dumb down'. It is an interesting thought...

KB

[Aardvark]

I doubt the Industrial Revolution would have occurred had people not moved closer together and bounced ideas off one another ??

[jai yen yen]

I doubt the Industrial Revolution would have occurred had people not moved closer together and bounced ideas off one another ??

That is true but since the progress of our western societies we have definately become soft and lazy. You only have to look at immigrants to the west to see that they try much harder to succeed.

[Frankie 1]

I have wondered why so many people seem to be sucked in to 'edge' thinking. Deniers, conspiracy theory's, far left or right ideology, to the point of the ridiculous and in the face of facts. It seems it may well be evolution, or devolution in this case.

I think it started with language. At a certain point in time people started to talk with each other, telling each other stories. Stories are much easier to believe than the truth.