Yes, symbol set reduction can weigh in this too - that was the entire idea of orwell&#x27;s newspeak, to reduce the available set of symbols and therefore thought - fundamentally providing a more malleable, more simplistic model.<p>Were humans not capable of and in the habit of treating assumptions as axioms, we could not function nor develop beyond an infantile inquisitive state, as we rely on inductive learning to link the symbols through which we interpret reality - so one can only work with this particular axiom (or assumption? Hah.) to effect change.<p>The Internet is damoclean in nature - at first flush it presents a divisive frontier of information, which leads to the behaviours we see today - but prolonged exposure could result in a general improvement in the models individuals and cultures carry, assuming auto-innoculation doesn&#x27;t happen too quickly. It&#x27;ll be interesting to watch pan out.