The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What Your Head is Really Up To

by Dean Burnett

‘If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.’

A lot of the baffling or worrying policies pursued by governments could be explained by group polarisation.

Edmund Burke famously said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ But it’s probably even easier for evil if good men are willing to pitch in and help.

So the more privileged and comfortable someone’s life is, the harder it is for them to appreciate the needs and issues of those worse off. But as long as we don’t do something stupid like put the most pampered people in charge of running countries, we should be OK.

It seems that, despite all the inclinations towards being sociable and friendly, our brain is so concerned with preserving a sense of identity and peace of mind that it makes us willing to screw over anyone and anything that could endanger this. Charming.