Worldviews

It’s estimated that the human brain receives around 11 million bps (bits per second) of information. Of this 11 million we only become aware of a fraction of this. Around 2 to 120 bps.  How does someone know what data to pay attention to then? What bits deserve our focus and what is meaningless noise?

Making information salient is one of the main functions of a worldview. It brings things into focus so that we can find meaning. It’s what helps us separate the signal from the noise. And since there’s 11 million bits streaming into our brains every second a worldview becomes a practical approach for survival.

In addition to salience, a worldview allows us to increase our connection with others. This is because the data is being presented in a way that allows for many people (a society) to work as a single unit. The more cohesive the unit the more likely this bonding can grow to be a superorganism. 

Despite the power and necessity of a worldview there are massive potential downsides.

One downside is, if everyone processes information too similarly something important can easily be missed. This inability to interpret and adapt to critical data is what leads to the extinction of both biological and abstract entities i.e. plants, animals, ideas, etc.

Another downside of worldviews is that most of them are built upon heuristics and bad explanations of reality. When this is the case then it’s necessary for the worldview to protect itself by making opposing forms of knowledge, that seem threatening, off limits. This is an example of knowledge suppressing knowledge which is why it’s always possible for humanity to enter another dark age.

So, because worldviews are necessary for human flourishing, but can also lead to its destruction, how we choose to see the world is a profound responsibility. Much of the existential threats we face are due to the fact that most of the worldviews that are available to us don’t allow for progress and adaptation while still maintaining the possibility for salience and unification.