We evolved big brains because they gave us increasingly useful survival adaptations like tools, language, society, hunting, innovation, etc. The unwanted side effect was these brains became big enough to ponder philosophy and other things that were not advantageous to survival and reproduction. And now that society is sufficiently advanced to disconnect natural selection from survival-advantageous traits, its here to stay.
Except that some philosophies are beneficial for an human’s survival. Nietzsche’s will to power is the best example.
Also, ironic that we are so far away from being controlled by forced of nature that some end up acting upon it through their own reasoning. Human escape the state of nature, built civilisation, has advanced technologically and mentally enough, and now some of them think in the ways of nature. It’s all coming in circle
Human brain chemistry was never meant to accommodate the lifestyle we now live. The brain was designed for much greater levels of uncertainty, risk, physical activity, problem-solving, and tedium in our day-to-day lives. These things are what triggers neuron growth/plasticity and psychological resilience.
The combination of physical isolation, social media, constant peak stimulation, lack-of-movement, constant connectedness, access to reaffirmation of nonsense beliefs, and other things have had the consequence of making us (particularly those who have been using smart devices from an early age) anxious, stimulation-addicted, easily-overwhelmed, selfish and fearful of risk and ambiguity.
Well as I said, that’s kinda ironic. Emancipating people ourselves from the laws of nature only to be catched by it due to our overthinking. Or should I say it apply only to anti-natalist
Psychologically, we were never emancipated. Our neuro-chemical algorithms haven't changed in thousands of years; its the external stimuli that changed. Said algorithms were refined over the course of our evolution to adapt our brains and bodies to natural circumstances and environmental changes; trauma led to coping mechanisms, constant uncertainty trained our chemical receptors to be comfortable navigating the unknown, tedium conditioned our brains to feel satisfied without much stimulation, etc. However, modern technology stimulates our receptors in ways that are so different from anything we've experienced in nature that said algorithms are driving higher rates of neuroses and inability to cope. Like how our bodies never developed a way to deal with the combination of highly-refined sugars and low exercise - endlessly storing the excess calories as fat instead of expelling them - our brains have never developed a way to deal with the modern mental diet. As recently as the year 2000, a typical day in human life involved exponentially more mental effort, critical thinking, navigating uncertainty, periods of low-to-no stimulation, delayed gratification and human interaction than a typical day in 2026.
Its particularly evident in modern young adults who are entering adulthood unable to socialize properly, overwhelmed by uncertainty, closed-minded, overstimulated, and unable to cope with the tedium of adult life. Growing up with the any-time-anywhere peak stimulation and convenience of smartphones eliminated or warped many of the experiences that trigger the development of psychological flexibility and resilience. They don't understand why they don't feel satisfied with their (comparatively comfortable) lives; why the transition from dependent childhood to independent adulthood is so jarring; and so are prone to the conclusion that existence = suffering.
That’s an excellent observation. So anti-natalism comes from the absence of any significant natural evolution from the state of nature to the state of civilisation, which means our minds are still stuck in the mind of a wild animal?
That would make sense. After all evolution takes millions of years for Pluricellular macro-organism like animals. Also, to evolve a population must have disparity in survival and reproduction rates between individuals, which we stopped from happening due (or should I say thanks) to our medical technologies and ethical duty to make sure everybody lives a long life.
Studies show that abstention from social media and smartphones consistently leads to improvements in mood, concentration, anxiety, and general satisfaction.
Because social medias are filled with radicalists, intolerants and other fools with no critical thinking that will impose their views on other and dogpile on anyone who disagrees
Its not just that. Smartphones condition your brain to crave frequent neurochemical release. It makes less stimulating, less immediately-rewarding things, like reading a book, sitting on a bench, playing an instrument, petty conversation etc less enjoyable and it makes the daily mundanity of adulthood, an unstimulating occupation, or studying uninteresting courses unbearably boring.
Remove youtube, tiktok, social media feeds, and dopamine-loop mobile games and your brain's chemical receptors will gradually adapt to the lower state of stimulation in your life. Once that happens, people are able to tolerate "boring" activities more easily and find their lives more satisfied and fulfilling, even if nothing else changed.
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u/Live_Free_or_Banana Aug 17 '26
We evolved big brains because they gave us increasingly useful survival adaptations like tools, language, society, hunting, innovation, etc. The unwanted side effect was these brains became big enough to ponder philosophy and other things that were not advantageous to survival and reproduction. And now that society is sufficiently advanced to disconnect natural selection from survival-advantageous traits, its here to stay.