Today, Explained Battling brain rot
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Jan 25, 2026 
Andrew Budson, a neurologist who studies memory and neuroplasticity, and Stuart Jeffries, a journalist exploring the history of stupidity, discuss cultural worries about declining intelligence. They debate AI, bland culture, cognitive outsourcing, memory formation, sleep’s role in learning, social isolation’s effects, and practical ways to sharpen critical thinking.
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Modern Angst Mirrors Old Tech Fears
- People feel dumber partly because new technologies and bland cultural trends make life feel flattened and passive.
- Stuart Jeffries argues fear of new tech repeats historical patterns like Luddism, not proof of declining intelligence.
Stupidity Complaints Are Ancient
- Worries about mass stupidity date back at least to Socrates complaining about Alcibiades' ignorant self-confidence.
- Jeffries uses the Socratic critique to show we often label people as stupid when they don't realize their ignorance.
Stupidity As A Value Judgment
- Eastern philosophies frame stupidity as attachment to material desire rather than lack of raw cognition.
- That shifts the critique from brainpower to values and purpose in life.
