The Gullible Ape

Too Long; Didn't Read

<span>We</span> humans are biased by nature. Everything we think we know is distorted in one way or another by our cognitive shortcomings. The human brain has been forced to evolve and adapt to whatever environment it can end up in and having a brain that sets aside personal aims for the sake of the collective has proven to be advantageous for the evolution of our species as a whole in some cases. The same is true for any social life-form. However, to let these parts of our brains guide our political judgement can lead to disastrous results in the long run. Not because of bad intentions but for the simple fact that a few individuals will always thrive by playing the systems in their favor. From an evolutionary perspective an army of ay-sayers and martyrs, regardless of whether we’re talking about an an army of humans or an army of ants or bacteria, has an advantage over a less disciplined one. From an <em>individual’s </em>evolutionary perspective though, it is better to <em>appear</em> like you’re a martyr but to run and hide when the actual battle happens. This at least partly explains the high percentage of sociopaths in leadership positions all over the world. If you can appear to act for the good of the collective but dupe your way into more and more power behind people’s backs, you’re more likely to succeed than if you’d been playing a fair game.