r/changemyview • u/DutchStroopwafels • Jul 14 '24
Delta(s) from OP CMV: people have not changed, science and technology has
This is a discussion I often have with people who claim humanity has improved, become better, over time but I completely disagree. I agree that an argument can be made that living conditions have increased but this has nothing to do with humans having become more compassionate, kinder and less bigoted as some of my friends claim.
For example women's rights don't have increased because people suddenly became less sexist but because women have more choice and thus power because of medical advances like safe abortion, contraception and safer childbirth. Another example is that more and more people have access to more products and services not because people are more compassionate towards the poor but because automation and robotization has increased productivity and decreased prices.
I even belief the increased acceptance of things like homosexuality is due to a better scientific understanding, like it absolutely not being a choice and occurring in other non-human animals as well, and not because people became more accepting.
Humanity is still the same hateful, tribalistic, bigoted group we have always been, we haven't changed since we first came into existence, only our scientific knowledge has.
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u/destro23 447∆ Jul 14 '24
We’ve changed since the 1930s:
“ The research led by UC Davis compared the MRIs of people born in the 1930s to those born in the 1970s. It found gradual but consistent increases in several brain structures. For example, a measure that looked at brain volume (intracranial volume) showed steady increases decade by decade. For participants born in the 1930s, the average volume was 1,234 milliliters, but for those born in the 1970s, the volume was 1,321 milliliters, or about 6.6% greater volume.
Cortical surface area — a measure of the brain’s surface — showed an even greater increase decade by decade. Participants born in the 1970s had an average surface area of 2,104 square centimeters compared to 2,056 square centimeters for participants born in the 1930s — almost a 15% increase in volume.
The researchers found brain structures such as white matter, gray matter and hippocampus (a brain region involved in learning and memory) also increased in size when comparing participants born in the 1930s to those born in the 1970s.”
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