Yes, with the internet, I've read more, learned more than it would have ever been possible without the internet. But with LLMs, I fear the part of our brain that performs reasoning/critical thinking will diminish. Just look at all those who fell for flat-earth, alien cow abductions, anti-vax, etc.
> According to global Win-Gallup International studies, 13% of respondents were "convinced atheists" in 2012, 11% were "convinced atheists" in 2015, and in 2017, 9% were "convinced atheists". However, other earlier global studies have indicated that global atheism may be in decline due to irreligious countries having the lowest birth rates in the world and religious countries having higher birth rates in general.
My point was not that there are more atheists; my point is that whereas 1-2k years ago, ~100% of humans believed sincerely and wholly in supernatural nonsense, now we have beaten that back to somewhere around 90%, which is hundreds of millions of people who at least sometimes are aware of and pursue truth and rationality.
You can even publicly state same in most places on Earth today and not be beaten or killed.
The situation improves even faster with the mass education that the internet allows for.
My point is that the situation you describe is clearly in a reverse trend when you look at the data.
I could make further points that new faiths have become more entrenched, such as nationalism and political partisanship to name just two. Or even beliefs like free markets being some unquestionable good, or maybe that technological progress is inexorable. That these kind of tribal splits are increasing, betray this notion that we are becoming more rational as a species. I’d posit that even if we did cast off the shackles of religion, we’d simply find new kinds of faith to replace them.
