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Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden
This is a very deterministic opinion, and I don't believe that it is substantiated. The concept of 7.2 Billion people being "programmed" the same way after being subject to different cultural forces is ridiculously simplistic.
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The current science on nature vs nurture is that it's about a 50/50 split.
Evolution doesn't stop at the neck. There are all sorts of behaviours imprinted on us that are recognized as universal. Our minds are the minds of highly evolved, status-seeking, violent primates. Our social instincts are the consequence of our needs as a species for hundreds of thousands of years. Culture can suppress some instincts, but it's very difficult to overcome them altogether.
Quote:
Originally Posted by La Flames Fan
Manipulation (social, economic especially) of the huddled masses has a had a profound impact on society around the world, but so glaringly obvious in the U.S.
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We don't need manipulation from above for our discourse to be hobbled by all sorts of cognitive biases. I don't think anybody planned for social media to amplify conflict and polarization. In group behaviour and binary thinking are deeply imprinted in our nature. We've managed to overcome them at times to build our civilization. But the institutions that helped us sustain liberal, tolerant, pluralistic society are under a lot of pressure today. I don't think the masters of the universe really want the breakdown of society. And I don't think they really understand what's happening any better than the rest of us.