(February 17, 2021 at 5:32 pm)John 6IX Breezy Wrote:(February 17, 2021 at 4:51 pm)HappySkeptic Wrote: A debatable idea, but why would false propositions have better fitness? In general, they shouldn't.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable with the idea; I would direct you to Donald Hoffman for a better argument.
My response would be that there are simply infinitely more ways to be wrong than to be right. And our brains find it easier to exist within that space; and it actively perceives the world through the less of fitness rather than truth.
A false proposition such as "porcupines shoot their quills" will increase the distance you keep from danger, and lower the probability of getting wounded, in ways that it wouldn't if you knew they don't shoot quills.
Is it better to do the right thing for the wrong reason, or the right thing for the right reason?
There's a chance that the wrong reason will eventually lead to a wrong action, while the right reason would never lead there.
Imagine the porcupine is wounded and needs your help.
