When statistically unlikely events occur—at random—adults commonly draw from a huge reservoir of meanings to account for them. The need to do so, coupled with an overall absence of curiosity for what is true, may have rational evolutionary roots.2 For example, is that a lion rustling the tall grass ahead of you, or just the effects of a gentle wind? Consider the outcomes in a hungry-lion flowchart: You think you see a lion. You are curious and you want to make sure, so you walk closer and discover it’s indeed a lion. The lion then eats you, summarily removing you from the gene pool. You think
...more