Psychology falls short in explaining mental illness, the nature of beliefs, and the mechanisms behind human actions. The complexity of understanding human thinking is one of the greatest challenges humanity faces. Yet, expecting psychology’s issues to be resolved through another correlation study or identifying the function of a few genes is overly optimistic. Despite these limitations, we continue to place faith in psychology because of a lack of alternatives.
This project aims to prove that everything a human does can be explained through evolutionary theory and logic. It offers an alternative perspective that is distinct from psychology as an empirical science. By viewing humans as logical computational devices, the project explains how self-destructive actions arise from misunderstood emotions. It then builds models of belief systems that are illusions of logical conclusions, but are actually logical tautologies. Finally, it argues that mental illness is simply a more complex form of self-destruction. When humans are not self-destructive, we can fully understand their actions and behaviour through the lens of evolutionary theory alone.
This project presents an unconventional, multi-disciplinary argument by assuming that humans function as highly logical computational devices. This counterintuitive approach allows us to examine how self-referencing can corrupt intended functions. Just as a computer program with a loop isn’t irrational but self-references beyond the programmer’s intent, humans outthink their biology, leading to self-referencing mechanisms. The project aims to uncover the rational consequences of this phenomenon and show that these unexpected outcomes are what we typically perceive as normal human failings.
The project is a radical reappraisal of human nature. By treating humanity as a giant logic puzzle, it asks important questions about how we should regulate ourselves and whether our species will survive.