The myth of progress with technology and times

We like to imagine that the more extreme types of irrationality have somehow been overcome through progress ( in technology) and via enlightenment.

and yet, throughout history we have witnessed continual cycles of rising and falling levels of the irrational. The great golden age of greek philosophers, and its first stirrings of the scientific spirit, was followed by an age of superstition, cults, and intolerance. This same phenomenon happened after the Islamic golden age and Italian Renaissance. That this cycle is bound to recur again and again is part of human nature. The irrational simply changes its look and its fashions.

While we may no longer have literal witch hunts, but now in the 21st century , we witness the reach of social media " trends" and meme culture ,smearing ( or glorifying) a particular individual .. a viral video or tweet can ruin the reputation of any person, organization , company in a matter of days -

Various cults are continually being generated, including cults of personality and the fetishizing of celebrities. Technology now inspires religious fervor. People have a desperate need to believe in something and they will find it anywhere. Polls have revealed that increasing numbers of people believe in ghosts, spirits, and angels, in the twenty-first century. As long as there are humans, the irrational will find its voices and means of spreading.