u/Schemna

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how out of sync modern society feels with what our bodies and minds were built for. Hunter-gatherers lived in an environment and structure that shaped our species for hundreds of thousands of years (keeping in mind, of course, that evolution has no end goal or moral direction).

We obviously have modern medicine, tech, and safety today, but we’re also dealing with an epidemic of loneliness, chronic stress, sedentary habits, and a complete breakdown of close-knit communities.

I’d love to hear your take on this.

What do you see as the biggest flaws of modern society compared to that "original" human lifestyle?

Which specific aspects of today’s world do you think are doing the most damage to us mentally or physically?

Looking for honest, critical perspectives. Tell me what you genuinely think in your own words, no need for academic papers or textbook answers. Thanks!

Many discussions surrounding meaninglessness and existential dread seem to share a

Fundamental flaw: they evaluate human existence through an anthropocentric lens, secretly expecting humans to be "above" nature, and then mourn when no grand cosmic purpose is found.
When people conclude that "life has no higher meaning," they are usually comparing human existence to a fictional ideal, a universe designed specifically for us. But from a grounded, biological perspective, this disappointment makes no sense.
Here is why this perspective is flawed:

The Biological Baseline: We are, first and foremost, biological organisms. Our fundamental baseline, our "objective" foundation, is rooted in biology: survival, homeostasis, adaptation, and continuation. Expecting a cosmic mandate beyond this is biologically illiterate.

The Subjective Value Fallacy: The absence of a cosmic, objective purpose does not imply a total lack of meaning. It simply shifts meaning from objective or given to subjective or constructed. The fact that our values, desires, and emotional drives are tied to our evolved neurobiology does not make them any less real or valid to us.

Constructing Meaning: Once we accept that we are animals with a complex conscious experience, the lack of an inherent objective purpose ceases to be a tragedy. It becomes a clean slate. Pain feels bad, joy feels good, curiosity drives us, and connection fulfills us. These subjective experiences are real because we experience them.

Dismissing life as pointless simply because there is no grand divine blueprint ignores what we actually are. We don't need the universe to give us a reason to exist; as living organismsi with subjective experiences, we hold the authority and the responsibility to define what matters to us.

Many people view IQ tests as an absolute measurement of intelligence, but I believe they are fundamentally flawed as a standalone metric for several reasons

High Fluctuation: Test performance is heavily influenced by temporary physical and mental states, such as sleep quality, stress levels, fatigue, and general mood. A person's score can easily fluctuate by 10 to 15 points from one day to another.

Narrow Scope: Popular tests (like Mensa) measure almost exclusively fluid intelligence via matrix reasoning. They completely ignore other critical components of cognition, such as working memory, verbal reasoning, processing speed, and spatial awareness.

Practice Effect: Repeating these types of tests trains your brain to recognize recurring patterns. You learn the "rules of the game," which inflates your score over time without actually increasing your underlying general intelligence.
For a test to yield truly accurate and meaningful results, it would need to be conducted over multiple days using a wide variety of comprehensive, multi-dimensional battery tests to account for daily variables and cognitive breadth. Single-session geometric tests simply do not tell the whole story.

Note: For context, my tested IQ is 135+. This is not a case of sour grapes or a blind complaint because of a low score. However, despite scoring high, I refuse to share this number as a true representation of my intellect. Given the clear limitations of these tests, ignoring these facts just to show off would be hypocritical.