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Society is Choosing Fantasy Over Reality

The death of critical thinking and the collapse of civilization.

Angus Peterson
Edge of Collapse
8 min readJan 11, 2025

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Ouija board
(Image Credit: Emily MacDonald)

In an era where logic and critical thinking are more crucial than ever, society is moving in the opposite direction — toward misinformation, mysticism, and authoritarian rule. The world is locked in a permanent state of polycrisis — economic instability, ecological collapse, geopolitical tensions, and societal fragmentation. Instead of confronting these crises with logic and evidence-based solutions, vast swaths of the population are retreating into superstition and authoritarianism.

This is not just a failure of individual reasoning but a systemic collapse of critical thinking. Public discourse has been hijacked by propagandists, digital echo chambers, and the commodification of outrage. Misinformation spreads at unmatched speeds, weaponized by the very tools that were once hailed as instruments of enlightenment. Civilization is not just unprepared for the crises it faces — it is actively undermining any attempt to mitigate them.

The consequences are dire. As the climate deteriorates, democratic norms erode, and economic inequality widens, people are increasingly desperate for explanations. But rather than demanding accountability from the powerful, they turn to mysticism, conspiracy theories, and strongmen who…

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Edge of Collapse
Edge of Collapse

Published in Edge of Collapse

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis.

Angus Peterson
Angus Peterson

Written by Angus Peterson

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis. Follow to get all the new stories: https://anguspeterson.medium.com/subscribe

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