The Nature of Our Modern Religion

"Cognitive dissonance is a monstrous part of the human mind. It simply sets its feet in," he says. "If it's set in an adaptive way, if it's doing behaviors that are extremely adaptive, you're going to be okay." If cognitive dissonance catches your mind or captures a large swath of your population, 'you're going to end up like Rome,' writes Richard Dawkins. We want to believe in a place where there are no standards, where there areno limits, where there is no death, and we want to go there - but God won't let us.