Why do we think the way we do? Is it different from the way humans thought before the emergence of agriculture? I suspect it is very different.
Before agriculture, there was no real “authority” among people. Yes, maybe here and there, but most cultures were probably like the San culture of Africa, the oldest modern human group. The San were egalitarian and non-aggressive–actually female-oriented–hence, the Divine Feminine in cultures around the world. Seemingly unbeknown to the anthropological world, the San were the out-of-Africa group.
Our post-agricultural world is quite different–authority is all around–and we are expected to defer to it–parents, teachers, police, bureaucrats, politicians, workplace bosses–you name it. It has to affect our thinking dramatically. The SN, the authority structure in place since agriculture and mostly male-oriented, is a tight ceiling on our thinking. We think small when just a few thousand years ago, small groups could build stone structures like Stonehenge in England aligned perfectly with the summer solstice. And carry huge stones weighing several tons over land and sea from over 200 miles away. Could we think that creatively? No. Our thinking now is basically imprisoned to the authoritative SN which tells us what is right and wrong, who our friends are, and who our enemies are. It also tells us what success is–or certainly tries to.
Yes, there is a real ceiling in place that keeps us from the realization that we really can change things–that we can accomplish miraculous discoveries–that our thinking can change the world. The first step is realizing what is holding us back, and that is the long arm of the post-agricultural, authoritarian SN.