Let me start by saying this is not a sarcastic jab at particular political affiliations ( though it could be ), rather a general observation I’ve made.
What I’ve come to realize is there seems to be so many people that have almost ZERO deductive reasoning capabilities. These people are utterly dependent on others to solve even the slightest of their problems. They simply can’t figure things out on their own.
My question is this: Has modern civilization reduced the genetic pressure that would otherwise keep this cognitive deficiency out of the gene pool? Put simply, have we made life so easy that any idiot can survive and reproduce? If so, this isn’t a trivial issue; especially if you play it out another 500 years or so.
I’ve often thought we are in the beginning of “The Marching Morons” by Cyril M. Kornbluth . Yes, we are over populating with people who would not have survived a couple hundred years ago, natural selection has been ended, except for the completely stupid, and they even get a second chance with modern emergency rooms.
In my opinion modern civilization has relieved the burden of life and effectively held the law of natural selection in abeyance.
Increases in individual productivity have enabled fewer producers to generate the the necessities of living like shelter, food, water, clothing to such an extent that the government has determined that they are able to offer up the idea of universal basic income whereby everyone can be paid a living income even if they produce nothing. And for the first time in history, the notion that everyone is entitled to all the healthcare they want with no consideration of payback or cost/benefit.
The root of the problem is technology. I’ll give you an example: “back in the day”, I learned to read maps. I’d open a map on the table and plot a route. Over time, this would teach me the “lay of the land” covered by the map. Eventually, I didn’t need the map anymore. But these days, with GPS, the “map” is a little 6″ screen with a “disconnected” little piece of a map. I’m TOLD where to turn and when I’ve arrived. Convenient? You bet. But I never learn the lay of the land that way.
Carry that forward to smart phones, social media (no more need to go out and meet people), etc, and you end up with a dysfunctional populace with zero patience.
Truly, we are living in the time of “Idiocracy”