Today's tonic: "Why do so many ignore facts, like the carbon tax works? Because we’re hard-wired to follow the pack"

Today's tonic: "Why do so many ignore facts, like the carbon tax works? Because we’re hard-wired to follow the pack," by columnist Andrew Phillips of the Toronto Star.   

This piece is a great reminder about how most people choose to think and approach the issues of our time. 

Here's an excerpt: 

"I’ve been thinking a lot about thinking — about how we come to believe what we believe and the tendency of people to cling to their beliefs in the face of a mountain of facts that contradict those same beliefs.

"This is hardly a new issue. We’ve been lamenting the fact that people lock themselves into self-reinforcing communities of belief for years now, especially since the advent of Donald Trump and his world of “alternative facts"...

"...Does this imply just giving up in the face of mass resistance to the “facts?” Not necessarily. But it does imply taking more account of where people are coming from and not automatically dismissing their views as irrational or badly motivated.

"It also implies examining your own beliefs with a bit more humility. After all, it’s not just all those other people whose brains are wired for social thinking. It’s you and me as well."