Algernon's Law: "Any simple major enhancement to human intelligence is a net evolutionary disadvantage." The article applies this to mental states, like the dif

Algernon's Law: "Any simple major enhancement to human intelligence is a net evolutionary disadvantage." The article applies this to mental states, like the difference between our normal thinking and meditative states. A partial rebuttal might be that we live in a very artificial environment, and the mental state we walk around in isn't necessarily the same as the typical mental state of a hunter-gatherer. I've taken courses in primitive wilderness survival that emphasized this point pretty strongly. Some types of meditation can help counteract the effects of modern life. Focusing on the present moment with a lot of awareness of your surroundings, for example, can definitely have survival benefits. A great book that delves into the mental aspects of survival situations is Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. (I'm not claiming this has anything to do with sex scandals, it was just a side note the article mentioned. Also I'm not claiming that all forms of meditation have survival benefits.)