By exchanging an ideal of excellence for everyone receiving a medal, whether or not an individual has achieved anything, we are undermining the fundamental tenets of how we built modern society. As we lower our standards to enable everyone to finish a race regardless of performance, we mistakenly think that we uplift the lesser-performing participants. What happens in reality is that we crush those who performed at or above average.

In recent years, Western culture has experienced a very disturbing and profound change. The traditional celebration of hard work, extraordinary skill, and individual accomplishments has been replaced with a broad-based philosophy of distrust toward excellence and with the belief that all merit that elevates any individual above another represents an injustice to those who did not achieve this elevation. This philosophy is not only being manifested through changes in how education is being carried out and through the way corporations are hiring employees – although it is slowly changing thankfully! It represents an outright reversal of the traditional values of hard work, exceptional ability, and individual achievement motivated by feelings of jealousy, the philosophy of equity, and a this-natural-born-comparative-inferior doctrine toward the ideal of competitiveness.

The Psychology of Envy and the “Tall Poppy”

To comprehend why people are attacking excellence, we have to first explore the psychological concept of envy. In many cultures, there is a social phenomenon called the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, which describes a tendency for people to pull down successful, smart or ambitious people who stand out from the crowd. This is an example of what Friedrich Nietzsche labelled as ressentiment, an underlying feeling of jealousy which compels the masses to attempt to bring noble and great people down to their level.

Instead of looking up to high achievers and trying to achieve equally extraordinary things themselves, the average person finds it far more convenient to attempt to pull down those who excel. In the modern era, this form of psychological defence has been weaponized and turned into the foundation of many institutionalized policies. The modern response to the fact that high achievers create feelings of inadequacy in the less successful is not to encourage perseverance or to improve oneself, but to eliminate the very conditions that permitted the high achievers to attain their accolades.

Crazy, isn’t it?

The Equity Illusion and Flat Education

The impact of this on the educational system is significant, as evidenced by the fact that schools throughout the Western direction have deliberately dismantled all of their gifted and talented programs. The thinking behind this strategy is simple:

Take the battles over gifted programs that have recently taken place in New York City, where numerous lawmakers have tried and failed numerous times over the past decade to stop gifted programs due to their perceived inequity. Consider the actions of the San Francisco Unified School District in 2014, when the district banned Algebra I from eighth graders in an effort to close the achievement gap along racial lines. This “equity experiment” backfired dramatically, leading to poor mathematical performance in the district, and resulted in the district being forced to revert to its original position on Algebra I ten years later.

The model used by the educational system in this situation is one where there is no competition. Children are given participation trophies instead of awards based on merit, incorrectly teaching them that the mere act of existing is as valuable as the accomplishments they achieve.

The Crisis of Grade Inflation

As expectations continue to be lowered for the lowest common denominator, success metrics become meaningless. Grade inflation in higher education is at a crisis level; at Harvard University alone, over 60% of grades received by undergraduates are “A”, and the average cumulative GPA is 3.83. In other words, when “A” is the default grade, it no longer represents excellence but is simply a validation of attendance.

Harvard Percentage of “A” Grades by Academic Year:

2005 - 24%

2024/2025 - >60%

This dramatic increase in grade inflation at elite institutions results from a culture of prioritizing emotional safety above the rigorous evaluation of student performance. Academic rigor is a collective action dilemma for these institutions as they fear either backlash from students or being accused of being inequitable, thus causing them to abandon or greatly reduce their standards of academic rigor.

The Expert Who Wasn’t

I recently witnessed a perfect example of this phenomenon.

A person I know approached me, proudly presenting themselves as an undisputed expert in their field - solely on the basis of being in the final stages of a Master’s degree and receiving high degrees. They then proceeded to lecture me by citing a single paper they had published more than a decade ago, as if it somehow proved their intellectual superiority over me. There was never any comparison to begin with.

On the other side stood “poor me”: a five-year Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a five-year PhD in Artificial Intelligence, a two-year Master’s in Business Administration, more than ten scientific publications, research collaborations with Daimler-Benz and the Greek Police, and multiple scholarships awarded for being at the top of my class for three consecutive years. And this doesn’t even include my professional work experience and (significant) achievement. All of it achieved twenty years ago, when earning these credentials was significantly more demanding and rigorous than it is today.

This encounter perfectly illustrates how the modern education system, combined with unchecked ego, can completely sever someone’s connection to reality. It creates fragile, inflated self-perceptions built on minimal accomplishments while blinding people to genuine expertise and hard-won achievement.

Wokeism and the Institutionalization of Mediocrity

The term “Woke” is frequently used to describe the basis for this ideological shift in society; through a “Woke” lens, every disparity in an outcome is an indicator of the presence of systemic oppression (oppressors). The expression “Woke” places an emphasis on group (e.g. ethnic) identity, thus diminishing the significance of individual accomplishments. Although efforts to implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the corporate world are generally promoted as equitable, they often involve lowering the bar for hiring and performance in order to satisfy demographic quotas.

When organizations give precedence to “lived experience” and identity over qualifications or merit, they create a culture in which mediocrity is endorsed by the culture at large. Indeed, Vivek Ramaswamy recently stated, “American culture has glorified mediocrity over excellence for too long”. Those who are vested in maintaining the culture of mediocrity are those who benefit from it, those who do not possess the ambition or ability to engage in a level playing field, and therefore rely on the rhetoric of social justice to gain unearned privilege.

Reclaiming the Pursuit of Greatness

Excellence doesn’t have to be dead due to the lack of opportunity. For any society to survive and thrive, that society must reject the toxic empathy that has been promoted by many in our current society as a means of levelling the outcome and promoting true equity. Equity means providing everyone with an equal opportunity for success while allowing everyone to pursue their own dreams and desires without being required to achieve a certain outcome.

It is important that we now return to a system of competition in our schools, openly and unapologetically celebrate those who perform better than others (exceptionalism), and acknowledge the historical significance of the traditional structures of merit and hierarchy (family structure/patriarchal responsibility) have been the engines that have driven human advancement.

By Dr Ioannis Syrigos

References

Travers, M. (2025). How Tall Poppy Syndrome Can Hold Back Your Career. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202510/how-tall-poppy-syndrome-can-hold-back-your-career

McKay, B., & McKay, K. (2022). Envy, Ressentiment, and the Inversion of Values. The Art of Manliness. https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/envy-ressentiment-and-the-inversion-of-values/

Ending New York’s Gifted Programs Would Hurt Students. (2025). City Journal. https://www.city-journal.org/article/zohran-mamdani-gifted-talented-program-new-york-schools

San Francisco Reinstates 8th-Grade Algebra After ‘Equity’ Experiment Fails. (2026). Washington Free Beacon. https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/san-francisco-reinstates-8th-grade-algebra-after-equity-experiment-fails/

Participation Trophies along with Grade Inflation Are Hurting More Than Helping. (n.d.). The Sport Journal. https://thesportjournal.org/article/participation-trophies-along-with-grade-inflation-are-hurting-more-than-helping/

Harvard to Tackle Grade Inflation With Cap on A’s. (2026). Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/learning-assessment/2026/03/13/harvard-tackle-grade-inflation-cap

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard. (2026). Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/university-news/harvard-grade-inflation-faculty-marks

Addressing the Grade Inflation Collective Action Problem. (2025). U.S. Department of Education. http://www.ed.gov/about/homeroom-blog/addressing-grade-inflation-collective-action-problem

Trump’s War on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. (n.d.). Scholarly Commons. https://scholarlycommons.law.cwsl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1530&context=fs

Vivek Ramaswamy Says U.S. Values ‘Mediocrity Over Excellence’. (2024). HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vivek-ramaswamy-america-mediocrity-over-excellence-immigration_n_676daaafe4b0186e1db6cfb5

Victimhood is a status symbol; dissent is a sin; families, destroyed under the guise of progressive liberation; then you are no longer talking about politics … you are talking about a cult.

Today I am going to propose something controversial. However, if you are paying attention to the culture over the past ten years, you already know this to be true.

Do not take this as an attack upon the political arena. It is just a simple assessment made through the lens of psychology. If you look beyond the terminology used to describe these movements such as “Social Justice” and “Equity,” what exists underneath is a belief system that teaches individuals to be submissive to authority, to maintain mental purity through public humiliation and ridicule, and to use victimhood as their currency instead of overcoming it as a condition.

What is very important about this belief system is that it has infiltrated the most fundamental aspect of human society, the family. In a society that increasingly strengthens those who are emotionally fragile (rather than mentally strong), we have to ask ourselves how did a movement that claims to represent tolerance become so intolerant, and how is this movement destroying our families?

The Architecture of Thought Reform

The American psychiatrist, Robert Jay Lifton, published a very important study in 1961 that identified eight criteria of thought control; that is, how cults break down the identity of individual members and force them to conform as a group. When we apply the criteria of Lifton to today’s progressive activism, we see an obvious match between the two.

Demand For Purity

A cult views the world as purely black-or-white; that is, you are completely with the cult, or you are an enemy. Today, modern progressive activism also works within a black-or-white framework. You are either an “antiracist,” working to dismantle systems of oppression, or you are complicit in those systems of oppression. There is no neutral ground. As Ibram X. Kendi made clear: “There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy.” The language used by Kendi is indeed the language of fundamentalism and not political science.

The Confession

Cults require their members to publicly confess their sins to show they are committed to the cult. In today’s workplace, we see ritualised confessions of one’s “unconscious bias” and acknowledgement of one’s “privilege” during corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training sessions. Those who do not confess are not considered just disagreeable … it goes beyond that, they have been excommunicated from the group. An example of this occurred in 2024 when an employee was terminated for refusing to take part in required unconscious bias training.

Loading The Language

Cults have their own “thought-terminating clichés,” that is, short phrases or ideas designed to shut down critical thought and put an end to the debate about a particular subject. When progressives make the statement that “silence is violence,” or dismiss a factual argument by using their “lived experience” as evidence, they are not engaging in any sort of meaningful dialogue. They are simply using a thought-terminating cliché to demonstrate that their doctrine is sacred and your questions are irrelevant.

The Narcissism of Perpetual Victimhood

Why did such a cultish mentality become so entrenched in Western culture today? Well, this can be explained by the convergence of narcissism and … wait for it … therapy culture.

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Over the last several decades, a large part of therapy culture has promoted the idea that emotional validation and acknowledgment take precedence over the importance of personal responsibility. In their book, The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff explained how we have trained an entire generation to adopt three major untruths about themselves: They are fragile, they should always trust their feelings, and life is fought between good vs evil.

A culture of coddling through therapy has created a wonderful breeding ground for what is referred to by psychologists as the “Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood” (TIV). Research conducted in 2026 and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that TIV is comprised of four main components: A need for validation of one’s suffering; Moral Elitism; An absence of Empathy for others; and A preoccupation with past grievances.

Most importantly, the authors of this 2026 study determined that TIV bears the closest relationship to vulnerable narcissism. The individuals who are most likely to be vocal about the fact that they are victims of some form of wrongdoing are often not seeking justice. Instead, they seek the social capital and moral authority that accompany being considered a victim.

The problem is that whenever any movement emphasises victimhood to the greatest degree of moral authority, it will inevitably provide refuge for those individuals who wish to exploit that amount of emotional weakness for the purpose of exercising control over others. The result? The progressive cult represents an unprecedented example of how such behaviours may lead to an authoritarian imposition of control under the guise of compassion.

The Dismantling of the Family

To achieve the isolation of each individual or member from any external influences (especially that of their family), all Cults are committed to disallowing each member from being exposed to or affected by anything outside of the Cult. However, instead of physically segregating their members (compounds, shared housing, etc.), the Progressive Cult uses Therapeutic culture / Feminist ideology to breakdown the family unit from within.

This ideological shift has resulted in the following consequences: nearly 70% of all divorces initiated in the U.S. today result from the actions of women, and, according to an analysis conducted by the Institute For Family Studies in 2026, the ideological marriage gap is significant; only 44% of Liberal Women have ever been married versus 60% of Conservative Women.

Marriage is perceived as a trap and Toxic in the Traditional Family is heavily subsidised by Therapeutic Culture, which encourages individuals to sever emotional connections with anyone who causes them discomfort. No wonder there is an unprecedented epidemic of family estrangement. A YouGov poll performed in 2025 demonstrated that approximately 40% of adults are estranged from at least one immediate family member and that approximately 1 in 4 young Americans have completely blocked a parent from their life.

The “No Contact” trend has become a popular prescription for estrangement through Therapists who diagnose parents they have never met. “Therapists diagnose parents they have never met, promoting Estrangement as Authority, Autonomy, and Identity,” says Psychologist Dr. Joshua Coleman. Family Conflict is routinely labelled as “Abuse” and Parents are often classified as “Narcissist” or “Toxic.”

This is how the Progressive Cult achieves its greatest success in Milieu Control; through convincing young adults that their Families are Unsafe, that they have an obligation to elevate the moral authority of their “Boundaries,” and that “Radical Autonomy” is the manifestation of their truth. Families’ connections are severed the deepest possible level leaving individuals alone, completely dependent on the Progressive Cult in order to validate their existence and provide their identity.

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The Ritual of Cancellation

Now, among outsiders who don’t abide by the family’s ideals, the cult employs other controlling mechanisms, including the infamous cancel culture.

Cancel culture, of course, doesn’t hold people accountable; it’s just a public shaming tool to instill fear and enforce ideology conformity among outsiders.

And if we look at the statistics, they tell a grim tale. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), 2025 reported the highest number of incidents, 273, where university students received punitive action for their speech. Additionally, 24% of students state that they often self-censor themselves when speaking to fellow students.

When Bari Weiss resigned from The New York Times in 2020, she demonstrated how the progressive media establishment’s suffocating milieu control had become so pervasive. In her resignation letter, she stated that “At The Times, intellectual curiosity - much less the act of taking risks - is a liability.” As a result, this environment allowed employees to bully her via their company’s Slack channels, with Twitter being the “ultimate editor.”

The story of Professor Kathleen Stock illustrates this same point. She was chased out of Sussex University in 2021 by a mob of masked students for only saying that sex was a biological reality. Similarly, J.K. Rowling received death threats and was shunned from the industry for saying the same thing.

These two people are not alone in this fight for love, support, and respect. Instead, these instances are a display of public executions for a religious fundamentalist ideology. This is the message sent to the congregation,

The Return to Responsibility

This “progressive cult” is based on people giving up their own responsibility for their problems, telling them that it is the result of systemic oppression and that their feelings are always right. They claim that their family is toxic and that their major calling in life is to be the “language police” for others.

The remedy for this cult mentality is not a new ideology but rather a return to ancient ideas about being responsible for oneself and what makes families strong. Two thousand years ago, the Stoics preached this same philosophy, as Epictetus said, “Make the best use of what you have control over; accept what happens without trying to change it.”

You have no control over the insanity of society or the mobs on social media or the therapists that encourage your children to cut you out of their lives; however, you do have full control over your own mind.

The progressive cult demands that you give up. It demands that you give up independent thought to the collective, moral judgment to the mob, and your family to the therapist.

Don’t do it. Your mind and your family are yours. Keep them that way.

Final Thought

Think about your statements; are they original thoughts from you, or are you merely repeating the chant of a religious group?

References

Lifton, R. J. (1961). Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. W.W. Norton & Company.
Kendi, I. X. (2019).How to Be an Antiracist. One World.
Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP. (2024). “The man who said ‘no’ to DEI training, and four lessons for employers.”
Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018).The Coddling of the American Mind. Penguin Press.
Bedard, et al. (2026). “How Victimization May Be Grounded in Narcissism.”Personality and Individual Differences. (Summarised in Psychology Today).
Whitley Law Firm. (2020). “3 Reasons Why Women Initiate Divorce More Often Than Men.”
Institute for Family Studies. (2026). “Analysis finds marriage and children rates on steep decline among liberals.”
The Federalist. (2025). “1 In 4 Young Americans Cuts Off Parents And Calls It ‘Boundaries’.”
Coleman, J. (2025). “Are Therapists Causing a Rise in Parental Estrangements?”Family Troubles(Substack).
National Review. (2025). “Campus Censorship Reached Record High in 2025.”
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). (2025).2025 College Free Speech Rankings.
Weiss, B. (2020). “Resignation Letter.”
The Guardian. (2021). “Kathleen Stock says she quit university post over ‘medieval’ ostracism.”
The Week. (2026). “A timeline of JK Rowling’s anti-trans shift.”

The highest form of intelligence isn’t what you know, it’s how you watch your own mind at work.

Recently, a @LeadersJunction X post went viral with an audacious and shocking statement: “The highest level of intelligence (according to neuroscience)!!!

The 2-minute video does not discuss astoundingly high IQ scores, extraordinary photographic memories, or the incredible speed at which someone can solve problems, but rather something that is much more subtle, significantly more powerful in our increasingly distracted society, and getting harder to find these days with all of our distractions. It is called, metacognition. This is the awareness of your own thoughts, the ability to question your own beliefs, and the ability to notice when you have made an error in your thinking. And all of it in real-time. And then consciously direct your own thinking to the right direction.

The video has gathered millions of views on YouTube, Instagram, and X since it was first posted several months ago. Is this simply another motivational message, or is there true scientific backing for what they are saying?

Not only there is true scientific backing for this video, but developing this skill is the best way to combat our growing obsession with emotionally based responses instead of rational thinking, and the fact that so many people are not discussing a method to develop this skill only serves as evidence that the current climate of self-improvement is at an all-time low.

What Exactly Is Metacognition?

The term “metacognition” was initially introduced in 1976 by John Flavell, who is credited with being the first person to conceptualise the idea.

Additionally, metacognitive regulation involves the continual assessment of one’s thinking and the development of plans for improving one’s thinking. Examples of this would include realising that you are becoming lost in negative thoughts and then rationally coming up with an alternative view. Another example is recognising distractions and guiding your focus back to the task at hand rather than blaming outside forces for being distracted.

Finally, evaluating why a mistake was made and coming up with an answer to the question: “What assumptions did I make that led me to make this choice?” rather than blaming external forces.

The Neuroscience: Why the Prefrontal Cortex Is Key

Modern brain imaging and lesion studies consistently point to the anterior prefrontal cortex (also called the rostrolateral or frontopolar PFC) as the neural headquarters for metacognition.

Through structural MRI studies, there is evidence that individuals who have greater gray matter volume or better connectivity in this area generally have higher accuracy scores on tests measuring metacognitive ability. Likewise, individuals with lesions in the anterior PFC, even if their perception and memory remain intact, will exhibit impaired levels of metacognition. TMS studies further establish the causal role of the anterior PFC in the development of metacognitive judgment and provide evidence that TMS of the anterior PFC disrupts an individual’s ability to reflect on his or her metacognitive performance.

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Studies on DLPFC and precuneus have also confirmed that both of those areas assist in some aspects of metacognition; however, it is clear that the anterior PFC is especially important for enabling awareness of one’s own thoughts and feelings rather than functioning only as a way for one to exhibit how one thinks or feels about the world.

So, while other regions like the dorsolateral PFC and precuneus also play supporting roles, the anterior PFC stands out for its unique job: letting you reflect on your own mental states rather than simply being a slave to them.

Researchers use “metacognitive sensitivity” scores, that is how well your confidence matches your actual performance, and repeatedly find the anterior prefrontal cortex at the centre. The brain has a built-in mechanism for self-observation. So, the only questions is whether you choose to use it.

Does It Really Outperform IQ?

Here’s where the viral claim gets interesting and mostly correct.

Multiple large-scale studies in education show that metacognitive skill predicts academic success better than looking at the IQ score in many cases.

• The Metacognitive Ability still accounted for a considerable amount of variance in School Performance.

• Students who monitor their learning (e.g., using self-testing, spacing, and reflection) outperform equally smart peers who don’t.

To translated this to real-world terms, high metacognition helps you to:

• Learn faster and retain more information

• Adapt to new situations and new environments

• Recover from mistakes without damaging your … ego

• Develop better emotional regulation and resilience

The Hype Check: Is It Literally the Highest Form?

Without ranking one ability as the highest, neuroscientists consider intelligence to be multidimensional and that various types of intelligence such as general intelligence (the G Factor), emotional intelligence, executive functions, creativity, etc., interact with one another in complex ways.

The viral phrase “highest form... according to neuroscience” is a classic example of pop-science marketing. While the concept of metacognition is directionally accurate and inspiring, no professional scientific institution has developed or published an official “ranking”.

That said, metacognition is a highly advanced cognitive function that is both rare and educable, and it builds off of other types of cognitive functions rather than replacing them. However, considering that we live in an information-overloaded world and that AI is better than humans at pure computational functions, the ability to manage how a person thinks could potentially be the most unique ability left to mankind and also the most useful in a practical sense. The statement made in the viral post was true, but oversimplifies the complex nature of the neuroscience behind it.

How to Actually Develop Metacognition (Yes, It’s Trainable!)

The best news: unlike fixed IQ, metacognition can be strengthened with practice. Here’s what works:

1. Mindfulness Meditation — The most evidence-backed method. Regular practice increases activity and connectivity in the anterior PFC and improves metacognitive accuracy. Even 10–15 minutes daily helps you observe thoughts without getting lost in them.

2. Daily Reflection Questions

   • “What did I believe today that might not be true?”

   • “Where did my attention wander, and why?”

   • “What strategy worked (or failed) and what can I adjust?”

3. Self-Testing & Error Analysis — Instead of passive re-reading, actively quiz yourself and analyze wrong answers. This builds metacognitive monitoring.

4. Journaling — Keep a “thinking log” after important decisions or arguments.

Final Thought

The X post illustrates the most authentic human characteristic. With mankind now having more access to information than ever before and with AI being capable of performing more computations than humans can ever do, one of the rarest superpowers that a person has is the ability to observe and think about your own thinking patterns.

So, to start with small steps, the next time your mind is racing, stop and think to yourself something along the lines of “What am I currently thinking about… is this thought actually helping me?”

That one small act of being metacognitive is probably going to be one of the most intelligent things you do for the day 😊.

Not too long ago, a bright and thoughtful young person was asked to reflect on his childhood experiences. He said that he had a “traumatic” upbringing. When pressed for some specifics about what he meant by “traumatic,” he explained that his father was strict and did not validate or support his feelings. Instead of nurturing his “heart,” his father was only interested in correcting his behaviour. His father placed too much pressure on him. This created a lot of nodding heads and sympathetic expressions around the room, and many of the participants in this group’s conversation shared stories of “toxic expectations” and “setting boundaries.” [1]

The stories that participants shared in this group were not from families that experienced abuse or neglect, but rather from families that loved unconditionally and sacrificially. However, we have redefined the standard challenges that we all experience while growing up, whether it is the tension created by parental expectations, the discomfort of being punished, or the hurt of being told “no”, to be defined as “trauma.” The word “trauma” was once used only in clinical settings to refer to extremely damaging and life-altering violations against an individual. Today, however, we use the term “trauma” to describe all experiences that fall short of an individual’s perfect emotional validation, and this is not a compassionate treatment of others.

In this article, I will explain the three main elements of this cultural phenomenon that are creating a foundation for the growth of our current Culture of Therapy (which treats all aspects of everyday life as though they are pathological), the institutionalisation of intellectual cowardice through Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings, and the emergence of a Grievance Industry that seeks to capitalise from individuals who have developed Fragility. I will offer the remedy to this cultural problem, which is simply the road back to the strength, resilience, and personal responsibility that once defined the Character of the West.

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While you may think you are searching the web, in fact you are influenced by an invisible force that decides what content is presented to you. As of 2026, an average person every day has made a number of unseen decisions based on AI recommendations. This is not something far off in the future; this is happening in the present. Most of us do not even realize that Artificial Intelligence has now become the primary gatekeeper for all information and, as such, has a significant impact on our lives.

This shift away from the human-created web toward an AI-based reality represents a fundamental change in the way we interact with technology. Large language models (LLMs) and complex algorithms for recommendation are now the primary gatekeepers of how we discover things. They shape the decisions we make and our perceptions, including economic choices. As one leader in the tech industry said during his presentation at the Grow 2026 conference,

The purpose of this article is to discuss how these AI gatekeepers work, why they are such powerful forces and what happens when visibility on the internet is determined by an algorithm.

The Invisible Hand of the Algorithm

The concept of AI as a gatekeeper was previously limited to Cybersecurity. The computer systems would allow or deny access to information based on rules and predetermined methods. Today, that entire concept is obsolete. AI has transitioned into the brain of Digital Identity, making decisions for users by continuously and passively monitoring a multitude of signals.

This change has been on every platform that influences our daily lives. On the search engines like Google and Bing, AI determines the information that will be surfaced in response to a search query and therefore determines for many users what they consider to be true.

In social media timelines on TikTok and Instagram, AI curates content according to predictions of how much engagement the content will receive. The algorithm thus dictates how far creators’ content can reach within the social media sphere as well as which trends are visible.

For businesses in e-commerce through sites such as Amazon, the recommendation algorithms can make or break a brand based on how well the brand’s products or services are placed in the algorithm.

The filtering of users’ news and entertaining takes place in a similar manner. For example, with Apple News, users’ headline news articles are personalized for them, resulting in the creation of filter bubbles. With Netflix and Spotify, discoverability is driven by AI. Meaning, Apple determines what users will watch and listen to based on what their audience is seeking out. Even professional opportunities are mediated, as LinkedIn uses algorithms to regulate how visible people’s profiles and content are to other users.

The effect of this is that consumers view AI recommendation systems as trustworthy filters that eliminate the confusion of countless options. But this convenience comes at a cost: a growing accountability gap and a loss of human agency.

The Accountability Gap: Who Is Responsible When AI Is Wrong?

Who’s liable for the actions of an AI system that denies access to a user during a crucial time? When a business disappears from results overnight? Who is accountable? The machine? The engineers who built it? The leaders who deployed it?

This is the gap in accountability that exists as a result of the “AI Gatekeeper” crisis. According to Todd Rossin, CEO of TechDemocracy, “AI will make the correct decision based on the wrong reasons and the incorrect decision based on unknown reasons.” Since AI works based on complex probabilities, the machine’s reasoning is often hard to see, so answers are not easy to obtain.

Lack of transparency reduces the ability to trust. A recent New York Times study reported that 68% of people share content to give others a better sense of who they are and what they care about. But how can we express our identity when the very content we see is pre-selected by an invisible algorithm? When there is no explanation for a decision, there can be no trust.

From Gatekeeper to Reality-Shaper

The crisis runs deeper than merely unaccountable decisions and biased recommendations; with the evolution of Artificial Intelligence from passive gatekeeper to active shaper of “reality” itself, our fears of a dystopian future once confined to science fiction are becoming increasingly believable.

The ability to rewrite history is also of concern. Large language models (LLMs) have been trained on the entire corpus of human knowledge, including all of your historical documents, records and texts, which means that an AI that controls the primary channels through which humans discover information has the ability to subtly distort the past. How long until the “accepted truth” of an AI-driven search engine that is delivering a slightly different version of a historical event will begin to take root? It is plausible that the original, objective record will slowly be eroded and replaced with a version that serves those who control the algorithm. As Orwell warned, history will become an editable, mutable document.

This also raises the issue of even more dire possibilities: could we now be witnessing the emergence of a Matrix-like scenario? In The Matrix, humanity was wholly dependent on artificial stimulation for survival while living in an illusion. Although not literally plugged into a machine, we may be similarly creating our own personal simulated realties through the curated sources of information, entertainment, social media and other means that AI provides us with. As algorithms determine one’s news, social interaction, purchasing decisions and even perceived historical “facts,” the boundary between the digital and “real” begins to disappear. We run the risk of being passive participants in a reality created for us rather than by us.

The New Rules of Visibility in the AI Age

With the rise of AI gatekeepers, content creators, brands, and even individuals have had to adapt to new methods of gaining visibility. Not only does the quality of content determine its success, but it is critical to know how to maximise exposure based on what signals AI uses for determining visibility. AI will evaluate content using these parameters:

• Clarity: The level of understanding the AI provides as to the context of the content.

• Credibility: The level of trust and authority in the content provided by the source.

• Community Endorsement: How much interaction and sharing the content receives from users in the community.

With the current rise in DM sharing through Instagram, the silent share is a far more powerful way to engage prospective consumers than the traditional method of receiving likes and comments. Mosseri, Instagram’s head of community, has said that DM sharing is between three and five times as important as liking a post, and therefore reflects a level of user intent to engage with that content. While most users think they are engaging with content when they simply like it, the content that resonates most deeply is the content that compels the user to share it privately with a trusted friend. As a result of these signals of deep trust, new algorithms will be more likely to promote those types of posts.

The Path Forward: Thriving in an AI-Mediated World

The AI gatekeeper crisis is not a problem that can be solved with more technology. It requires a fundamental shift in how we approach trust, transparency, and accountability. The organizations leading the way are not using AI to replace human judgment, but to enhance it. They are building systems with “transparency by design,” ensuring there is always a clear path for humans to review, override, and learn from AI decisions.

As individuals and consumers, we must become more critical of the information presented to us. We must question the recommendations we receive and actively seek out diverse perspectives. We must demand transparency from the platforms that shape our digital lives and hold them accountable for the decisions their algorithms make.

AI will continue to act as the gatekeeper for our behaviours and content online, and that will not change. However, we as human beings must take responsibility for the spaces we occupy with the information we consume online and cultivate an environment of open, honest communications. The internet was meant to be a bridge connecting all corners of the globe by the year 2026; we must now ensure that the internet does not build walls among us.

References

“What’s Hot?! February 2026.” LinkedIn, 13 Feb. 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-hot-february-2026-the7stars-wkake.

Rossin, Todd. “When AI Becomes the Gatekeeper: Redefining Trust and Accountability in Identity.” LinkedIn, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-ai-becomes-gatekeeper-redefining-trust-identity-todd-rossin-wpome.

“The Science Behind Viral Content: How to Go Viral.” Disrupt Agency, 29 Jan. 2026, https://disruptmarketing.co/blog/the-science-behind-viral-content/.

“Meta’s Threads is letting users be the boss of their own algorithm.” Business Insider, 11 Feb. 2026, https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-threads-dear-algo-gives-users-control-over-their-feeds-2026-2.

In an age of populist fervour and digital discourse, where opinions are formed in the crucible of social media and political passions run high, it is sensible to turn to the wisdom of the ancients. The Athenian philosopher Socrates, as chronicled by his student Plato, offered a sharp critique of democracy that resonates with unnerving clarity in our modern world. He warned that democracy, in its purest form, carries within it the seeds of its own destruction, and that its natural successor is not a more perfect union, but tyranny. This is not a partisan critique, but a philosophical one, a caution against the perils of an uninformed electorate and the demagogues who would lead them astray.

The Socratic Critique: A Ship of Fools

The scepticism Socrates held regarding democracy was not rooted in elitism but rather in his strong respect for knowledge and competence. In Plato’s Republic , he likens the state to a ship and questions, “Who would you want to select the captain of your ship?” Would you choose someone based solely on popularity? Or would you choose someone who makes grand promises? Or would you want someone who has studied the art of navigation and understands the stars, winds, and currents? The answer to this question is obvious; however, Socrates believed that in democratic government, we are allowing the ship of the state to be captained by the irrationalities of the masses rather than the educated or knowledgeable. Socrates believed this could lead to a “ship full of fools,” and that the most persuasive, charismatic, and deceitful people would take control of the ship of the state, leading it down a path to destruction.

Expanding on Socrates’ ideas, Plato proposed a deteriorating cycle of government moving from the ideal government of aristocracy (government run by the best) through timocracy (government run by the honorable) through oligarchy (government run by the wealthy) to democracy (government run by the masses). According to Plato, democracy is characterized by an insatiable desire for freedom and equality , and therefore will slip into an anarchic state. In such a state, the people become tired of chaos, and thus will call out for a strong leader to restore order. And it is from this cry that the tyrant emerges.

The Rise of the Tyrant

The tyrant, according to Plato, is a product of democracy’s excesses. He presents himself as a champion of the people, a protector of the common man against the elites. He is a master of rhetoric, a weaver of words who can stir the passions of the masses and turn them against his enemies. Once in power, he consolidates his rule through a combination of fear, division, and the appeasement of the basest desires of the populace. He surrounds himself with flatterers and sycophants, and eliminates anyone who dares to challenge his authority. He creates a climate of mistrust, where citizens are encouraged to spy on one another, and where loyalty is rewarded above all else.

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Aristotle, another giant of classical philosophy, echoed and expanded upon these concerns in his Politics. He observed that tyrants often find support in unexpected quarters. In a chilling passage, he notes:

This observation, while reflecting the societal norms of ancient Greece, contains a timeless truth about the nature of power. The tyrant seeks to atomize society, to break down the traditional bonds of family and community, and to create a direct relationship between himself and each individual. By empowering certain groups and turning them against others, he creates a web of dependency and control that is difficult to escape.

This is not to say that women or any other group are inherently drawn to tyranny. The great filmmaker and political commentator Orson Welles, a staunch anti-fascist who staged a production of Julius Caesar as a warning against the rise of Mussolini, understood that the appeal of the strongman is a complex phenomenon . It is often a response to a sense of powerlessness and a desire for order in a chaotic world. The tyrant promises to restore a sense of purpose and belonging, and for those who feel marginalized or ignored, this can be a seductive offer.

The Swiss Model: A Double-Edged Sword

People (including myself) have pointed to Switzerland’s direct democracy as a model of governance that is more stable and just than representative democracy. Although the Swiss system primarily relies upon direct participation through frequent referenda and popular initiatives, it gives the citizens an inordinate amount of power relative to most of the rest of the world. However, it is not without its own set of challenges. Voter turnout in Switzerland is often low, and there is no formal requirement for political education. This means that, as in any democracy, the potential for uninformed decision-making remains a significant concern.

While there is an obvious admirable aspect to Switzerland’s commitment to popular sovereignty, there is also a great deal of personal responsibility placed on each citizen. In addition, Switzerland cannot provide any assurance that the individual citizens will actually possess the necessary knowledge and experience to properly fulfil the obligations that are imposed upon them. Without an informed and engaged electorate, a democratic system, regardless of how well designed, is still vulnerable to the same potential problems as put forth by Socrates and Plato over 2000 years ago.

The Path Forward: A Return to Civic Virtue

There has been a great deal of debate regarding the optimal way to reduce the adverse effects of ignorance on our democratic institutions while preserving democracy. The classical idea of civic virtue provides us with a way forward, as individuals must be politically literate and have the ability to analyse and synthesize information when making their own decisions as informed voters.

This does not suggest that we should establish an epistocracy, in which only academically-educated individuals are permitted to govern. An epistocracy would be contrary to self-governance, and should not be considered a viable option. Rather, we must reinvest ourselves into civic education, both within our schools and within the public discourse, so our children are taught how to think, rather than simply being instructed on how to vote. A society comprised of reasoned individuals will promote dynamic conversation, and as a result, will also be able to hold their leaders to a higher standard regarding honesty, integrity, and intellectual rigor.

As Thomas Jefferson said:

If we wish to preserve our liberties, we must heed this warning. We must become a nation of navigators, not a ship of fools, in order to better guide our society toward a successful and prosperous future, rather than be drawn to tyranny by the siren song of ignorance.

As an engineer and an entrepreneur, I am trained to view the world as a system. A highly integrated and organised configuration of different inputs, outputs and their interdependences. For decades, we have optimized these systems for efficiency, speed, and growth. Yet, as we explore the landscape of our modern world, it is pretty clear that the system i…

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I was reading an article on Forbes today, where a psychologist shares a science inspired quiz to test if you are a modern Stoic. It was published today, 23^rd of December 2025. The article dives into how ancient Stoic wisdom is surging in popula…

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Let’s talk about “snowflakes”, shall we?

Look at our modern society and you will find them everywhere. A generational shift is taking place:

“Perceived fragility and entitlement”

I am sure we have all witnessed this phenomenon not only in our society as a whole, but …

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In a time of rising self-help gurus, endless motivational quotes on social media, and wellness apps promising us unending optimism, the mantra of “positive thinking” has become the norm. But, is a continuous focus to positivity ultimately de…

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Once a day, I try to go through Instagram and Tik Tok with the intention of coming across something new, whether that be an idea, marketing strategy, AI tool, etc. And at some point, I will inevitably stumble on to a shiny influencer, who smiles at you, and promises "10 affirmations to manif…

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Western culture stands at the precipice of self-destruction. The horrific murder of Charlie Kirk is a bloody, stark warning. Gad Saad, the evolutionary psychologist and unapologetic critic of moral decline, utilized the phrase "suicidal empathy" to describe the sickening ideology prioritizes the emotions of…

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In an age where change barrels toward us like a digital freight train, have you ever paused to wonder why the bedrock of our societies, you know, those time-honoured traditional values like meritocracy, personal responsibility, limited government, the strong nuclear family, faith and religion, patriotism, personal freedoms, and respect for authority, to mention a few, seem to be crumbling before our eyes?

It's a question that keeps me up at night. And it is not only because I am a father raising a son in this hyperconnected world, but also because I have spent years delving into history and our origins.

You should know by now that I do not shy away from these tough conversations, even if it costs me in business, friends, and... banks closing my accounts or mainstream media refusing interviews. Instead, I seek truth by blending ancient wisdom with modern scrutiny.

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In the glittering haze of people’s Instagram-filtered lives, where every latte is a masterpiece and every setback a catastrophe worthy of a viral rant, many have forgotten a timeless truth:

A young execu…

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As I explored in my previous articles, AI is reshaping industries. This can go, constructively, only one way forward: By empowering professionals to transcend tra…

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In an era where artificial intelligence whispers answers into our ears faster than we can think, a chilling question emerges: is our reliance on tools like ChatGPT eroding the very fabric of our minds?

Here we are. A ground-breaking MIT study has ignited global alarm, revealing that using AI for writing tasks can slash brain activity by up to 47%, leaving users with weakened memory and a lingering “cognitive debt.”

Are you surprised? I am not. It was expected, and it was common sense. This is what happens when we rush into something, get excited, and never think long term, never consider the toll it takes.

As we charge into this new digital frontier, mixing convenience with hidden perils, it is time to dissect the double-edged sword of large language models (LLMs).

In this article, drawing from neuroscience experts and fresh research (references at the end), I explore whether AI is supercharging our intellect or paving a path to mental decline and what we can do to reclaim control.

There is always a catch with progress, isn’t there?

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I am back … to continue writing from my cozy corner on themodernworld.com. As usual, I've been brewing over some unfinished thoughts. And nothing clears the mind like putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard in this case).

This time, it's all about the incredible science of young brains, the wisdom from our ancestors, and why our current education setup isn't cutting it and is actually doing quiet the opposite...

I've double-checked the facts with some fresh research, and I'll weave in more examples to keep things lively. Plus, let's explore some modern fixes and real-world stories to make this even more relatable. Keeping it simple, engaging, and straight from the heart, so let's jump in.

Why Early Years Are a Superpower

Let's kick off with the brain basics. It's mind-blowing how nature sets kids up for success, if we don't mess it up. And unfortunately we do mess it up …

Babies are born with roughly 100 billion neurons. The same number as adults (though some pruning happens later, dropping it slightly to around 86 billion in grown-ups). But the real magic? Babies have WAY more synaptic connections. That is the links between neurons that process and store information. This overabundance is like a blank canvas, ready to adapt to any environment.

Can you imagine?? For example, in the visual cortex, it surges around 3-4 months old. This makes the brain super plastic, which means that it changes shape based on experiences, soaking up skills like a sponge.

The next step is synaptic pruning. It starts in early childhood and ramping up through adolescence (even into the late 20s). During this stage, the brain trims unused connections for efficiency. Between ages 2 and 10, about 50% of extra synapses might get chopped in some areas. It's like editing a messy first draft. That is, strong links stay, weak ones go. In other words, skills that you learn between 2 and 10, will follow you for life.

Why does this matter for learning? Plasticity peaks when young, making it the best time for learning languages, motor skills, and problem-solving. Studies show kids under 3 can pick up multiple languages effortlessly, wiring their brains for lifelong advantages. Imagine a toddler learning math through block-building games or science via backyard experiments. That's structured play shaping neural architecture for good and for life!

How Ancient Kids Thrived with Hands-On Responsibility

History backs this up beautifully. For millennia, childhood wasn't about sitting in desks; it was active, immersive, and tied to real life. Perfect for that plastic brain.

Take ancient Greece:

Boys in Athens started formal education around age 7, learning reading, writing, music, and athletics through public schools or tutors, but it was practical and community-based.

In Sparta, it was tougher. Kids entered the agoge system at 7, facing boot-camp style training in survival, combat, and citizenship, building resilience early. Girls learned household skills at home, but everyone contributed young.

In ancient Rome, parents handled early education, teaching morals and basics at home before kids hit formal schools around age 7 for grammar and rhetoric. By their teens, many were apprenticed in trades or farms, herding animals or helping with harvests. That is real responsibility that matched brain development. How did they know? Well … thousands of years of experience…

Even in ancient Egypt, education was skill-focused: Kids trained as scribes from age 5, learning hieroglyphs and math through hands-on practice, while others picked up farming or crafts early. Hunter-gatherer societies worldwide had kids foraging or hunting by age 6-8, fostering independence.

Contrast this with the modern shift:

It emphasized conformity over creativity, influencing today's global models. No wonder it delays maturity. Kids spend years in passive dependency, missing that historical immersion.

The Modern Mismatch: Delayed Development and Its Consequences

Fast-forward, and we're paying the price.

I've seen it teaching at Universities and higher education institutes in Greece, the UK, and Australia. Chinese students for example often excel in focus and results, thanks to a rigorous, exam-heavy system with large classes and long hours, but they can struggle with creative problem-solving or ethical debates, influenced by a more authoritarian setup. Western kids, from holistic systems, shine in innovation but sometimes lack discipline.

Schools That Align with Brain Science and History

But it's not all doom. Some approaches nail it by blending biology and ancient wisdom.

Montessori schools, for instance, let kids explore hands-on from age 3, with mixed-age groups fostering responsibility like our ancestors' communities. Kids learn math via beads or science through gardens, tapping plasticity without rote drills.

Waldorf education emphasizes creativity and play early, introducing academics later but through stories and arts, echoing Greek holistic training. Research shows these kids often outperform in emotional intelligence and adaptability.

Even tech-savvy programs, like Finland's play-based system, start school at 7 with short days focused on skills, leading to top global outcomes.

At home, parents can DIY: Turn chores into games (cooking teaches math), read interactively, or encourage outdoor adventures. My son has been active since the age of 4, from treasure hunting and DIY projects to diving, skiing, piano, caving, rappelling, and even becoming a young entrepreneur at the age of 9. He's grown resilient, sharp and at times unbelievably wise - and I am not saying that because he is my son. No wonder school is boring for him...

AI in the Mix? Threat or Tool for Education?

Now, about AI. It's exploding in 2025, personalizing learning like never before, from adaptive tutors to instant feedback. But if misused, it could worsen passivity, automating thinking and widening gaps. Think The Matrix: Are we plugging kids into illusions, or using AI to enhance real experiences? Balance it with hands-on to amplify, not replace, brain growth.

Wrapping It Up, Time to Rethink and Act

Blending brain facts, history, and modern tweaks … we can do better. Don't waste those golden years. Push for experiential education that builds capable humans. Do not go for "let the kids just play"; their brains are developing, and they are not capable of directing their own learning in complex ways like X and Y. Pure nonsense. Especially today where ‘play’ is mostly ‘screens’ of all types…

These are experiments that put our kids' future in jeopardy. The opposition I have faced with my son starting a business, learning advanced physics, electronics and advanced DIY and other skills that are supposed to be for older children is beyond my comprehension... Ignorance is bliss, they say. But is it?

What tweaks have you made at home or school? Share below; let's start a change.

Until next time, question everything!

Just imagine: A young Spartan warrior, in ancient Greece, forged in the fires of discipline and purpose.…

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In an era where information flows like a digital torrent through our smartphones and laptops, one might assume that our education systems are producing sharper, more resilient minds than ever before, right?

Well … nope. The opposite seems true. Across the globe, from the United States to Europe and beyond, graduates emerge from schools and universities equipped with certificates but often lacking the mental fortitude to navigate complexity, question assumptions, or innovate beyond rote patterns.

This is a systemic failure that's breeding what I call "weak minds". That is:

That’s why my focus on critical thinking in numerous articles I have written.

As someone with four university degrees, nearly a decade of teaching experience in higher education, a strong background in artificial intelligence, and a lifelong passion for exploring the intersections of technology, society, and history, I've observed how modern education, designed in the industrial age, is ill-suited for the demands of our post-industrial world.

So, please, give me a moment of your time and I will try to explain why (I think) this is happening, while drawing lessons from the past and present, and exploring possible pathways toward reform.

After all, critiques of the education system go viral for a reason: they strike at the heart of our collective future.

Defining "Weak Minds"

Let me clarify what I mean by "weak minds". Please, students and teachers, do not take this as an insult. This is a critique of outcomes. So, in this context:

A weak mind is a mind that prioritizes memorization over analysis. It is a mind that shies away from discomforting questions. Quite common today, isn’t it? We used to have all kind of discussions but more and more people are unable of engaging with controversial topics or even ideas they just do not agree with.

The ancient Greek philosophers (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), emphasized dialectic reasoning. Their students were challenged to defend their ideas through rigorous debate. Socrates questioned (not lectured), forcing his pupils to confront contradictions in their thinking. Contrast that with today's classrooms, where standardized tests dominate, rewarding the regurgitation of facts over the synthesis of ideas. Not to mention that the word ‘forcing’ has become a forbidden word... As research points out, the prevalence of standardized testing and rote memorization has directly contributed to the erosion of critical thinking skills in modern education.

The Flaws Baked into the System

To understand why this creates weak minds, we must look into the flaws “baked” into the system.

Contradicting, isn’t it? It used to be that you have to go to a university to start questioning things, right? But even this is gone now …

Look at the schools today. They are similar to assembly lines but with a twist as we will see... The goal is to churn out students who can pass exams but struggle with real-world problem-solving and recently also with real-world conditions (e.g. competition, meritocracy, etc). The latter are gradually being removed from our society making things even worse.

Originally the first concept (assembly lines…), is by design:

This system actively discourages thinking that isn't predefined or approved by authorities. Sounds familiar?

In the United States, for instance, reading scores have fallen to new lows on the NAEP for both 4thand 8th graders, with math showing some progress but remaining below pre-pandemic levels, chronic absenteeism persists at alarmingly high rates around 23-25%, and teacher shortages continue to reach crisis levels with tens of thousands of vacancies and hundreds of thousands of underqualified positions.

Are you wondering why AI is going to replace teachers?

The ones manifesting as performative wokeness that prioritizes virtue signalling over substantive change.

The result? Student energy goes into sanitized displays like social media posts, diversity workshops or threats to power structures, driven by a desire to appear caring rather than committing to meaningful reform. Tied to education's flaws of compliance over curiosity, schools promote "safe" causes such as oil-sponsored climate campaigns or equity initiatives avoiding economic critiques, pushing superficial online engagement amid pressures that yield virtue-signalling "activists" faltering at true advocacy.

However, historically speaking, real activism arose from rigorous, independent thinking and not hollow exercises diluting movements, rewarding conformity disguised as rebellion, parroting wokeness on inclusivity without critiquing intersections with capitalism or hypocrisy, serving as control that undermines trust and perpetuates vulnerability to manipulation.

These are symptoms of a deeper malaise where the instructional core, the relationship between teachers, students, and content has been eroded by policy decisions that prioritize metrics over meaning.

The Neglect of Critical Thinking

One of the most important failures is the complete disregard for critical thinking. Surveys show the public believes deficiencies in critical thinking are due to technology, changing social norms and, most importantly, the education system itself.

In middle schools, critical thinking skills are not prioritized and are forgotten as students progress, with teachers often ignoring them completely in order to cover everything in curriculum. Why? Because teaching critical thinking skills, requires time, flexibility and an ability to accept the unknowns of learning - none of which are offered when you are focused on your curriculum. What do we do instead? Students are taught reductive thinking, reducing complex problems into multiple choice answers. Creative thought is stagnated and questions discounted, ignoring the importance of developing students' capacity to think critically and independently.

The result? We get students who can recite facts but have difficulty with the unknown, for example: analysing biased news sources or discussing ethical dilemmas in AI.

Historical Parallels and Divergences

If we look into history we will find parallels that demonstrate this failure. In ancient Athens, education was embedded in creating citizens that thought rationally in order to govern their own lives.

The Enlightenment saw John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau assert that education should be about directing inquiry, and the ability to engage in moral reasoning. Specifically, Locke in "Some Thoughts Concerning Education" argued that it was critical to teach children to reason based on evidence, and to understand the danger of dogmatic forms of teaching. Today's systems have abandoned those key concepts. We are going backwards!

Present-Day Manifestations

Currently, these flaws play out in horrifying ways. A study conducted in the United States revealed that 45% of college students had no measurable gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, or writing after attending college for four years! Of course, since education programs have little cognitive rigor and draw in the least qualified students who then become teachers, this should not be a surprise.

This gap is made worse with a major emphasis on mental health initiatives, which can, with good intention, be self-labelling anxiety or depression that corresponds with less successful coping and resiliency. Moreover, in classrooms today, learning approaches such as "whole language" reading or lax discipline fraud don't facilitate students learning the basics and create students who have no ability to read or be responsible. Teachers report there is zero authority in 2025, because weak principals allow disruptive students to interfere with the learning of all students.

The Exacerbating Role of Technology

It is technology that adds to the problem... For example, on the one hand, efficiency is a benefit of using AI tools such as ChatGPT; but, on the other hand, when students use these without analysis, it diminishes their critical faculties!

Other barriers to critical thinking include heuristic-based judgements, that is quick and pseudo intuitive decisions based on heuristics that circumvents analytical thinking and levels of epistemological understanding, such as poor students not understanding how knowledge is constructed.

In countries like Pakistan and other developing countries, there are so many poor contexts and modes of punishment that it becomes even less likely to ground critical thinking. High drop-out rates reflect a loss of motivation.

Why This Critique Goes Viral?

There is a simple answer for that. Because it resonates with students, parents and employers alike. We live in a world facing multiple crises, geopolitical tensions, and AI disruptions. Weak minds are a liability.

Viral videos and essays decry how schools scam students with ineffective trends, echoing a global frustration. Even the Vatican, in encyclicals like Laudato Si', highlights how environmental education fails the poor, contributing to broader societal vulnerabilities.

Pathways to Reform and Hope

There is an opportunity for us to change to ensure that critical thinking becomes the centre of curriculum.

Imagine schools with interdisciplinary projects replacing subjects in silos or schools that stack history, science, and ethics as projects allow students to see connections.

Imagine teacher development that evolves the teachers depth of thinking and not solely the subject knowledge. Teachers who are always searching for the best and brightest diamonds in the rough.

Policymakers can observe the strides being made by education systems like Finland that have placed play and inquiry at the centre of their education system, a place where critical thinking could never be more robust.

But we can be citizens that promote, endorse and advocate for critical thinking by educating ourselves, reading the classics, discussing ideas that matter with our peers and challenging social norms. In my work as a CEO and working with AI, I've seen how tools can augment, not replace, human reasoning if used critically.

By neglecting critical thinking, it leaves generations vulnerable to manipulation and stagnation. And we do not want that!

Let’s be optimistic (again). As with past revolutions in thought, change is possible. But we need to demand an education that builds strong, inquisitive minds, drawing from ancient wisdom to forge a better future. If this resonates with you, consider how you can contribute? Perhaps by advocating in your community or exploring further reading?

Thanks for reading The Modern World! Looking forward to your thoughts.

Imagine a world (not very far away) … where a machine composes a symphony that moves you to tears, or paints a masterpiece that rivals Van Gogh, or writes a novel that captures the essence of human longing. Now, picture that same machine doing it in seconds, without ever feeling joy, sorrow, or inspiration. A few years ago, someone would argue that this is science fiction. But today, this is the reality of 2025, where artificial intelligence is not only knocking on the door of creativity but also kicking it wide open! As AI anxiety reaches fever pitch, with fears of job losses and the erosion of what makes us uniquely human, we stand at a crossroads. Is AI a thief stealing our creative souls, or a muse amplifying our deepest expressions?

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