This is a gem of clarity. Bow

Originally Posted by numan
The human race, taken as a whole, is about as intelligent as a bug. Societies in upheaval resemble a disturbed beetle rushing to-and-fro in panic until it winds up on its back with its legs waving in all directions.
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[The evolutionary rationale for this is that amongst unknown dangers, if you try all the responses in your repertoire, there is a significant chance that at least one of them will increase your chances of survival]
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One may compare the rudimentary nervous system of the beetle to modern methods of communication: radio, television, the internet. A notable difference between the two is that in the case of the beetle [and indeed in the case of the individual human organism] no advantage arises to the organism or any of its parts if the reports of the nervous system are inaccurate or false -- rather the opposite. In the case of humanity, many social elements may reap temporary benefits by the circulation of false or misleading reports, even at the cost of harming the viability of the human species as a whole. In this respect, the beetle and humanity are not identical; the beetle is superior.

"The liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them."
Lenny Bruce

"The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month."
Dostoevsky