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When “better” turns into worse In the previous two articles in this series, I have argued two things. First, that optimisation is not something we consciously chose, but an emergent property of intelligence itself. Second, that once capitalism and power structures begin amplifying it, optimisation doesn’t simply progress, it accelerates. But neither of those ideas answers what I think is the most important question: Why does modern life feel wrong. Not catastrophic, not apoca

Optimisation doesn’t drift - it compounds. In the first article of this series I argued that optimisation isn’t a choice. I suggested that once intelligence exists, competition exists, and a species can imagine alternatives, the removal of friction becomes a kind of cognitive imperative. Humans look at a situation, detect inefficiency, picture a better outcome, and then feel pulled towards eliminating whatever slows things down. That pull is not ideological - it’s biological.

The assumption we never question Most people talk about optimisation as if it is a lifestyle preference, like minimalism, or running, or going vegan. As though society could simply decide to calm down if it wanted to, and that our collective obsession with speed, convenience, efficiency and frictionless living is the product of a long meeting we all attended and politely agreed to. But optimisation is not a policy, it is not a project, and it is not optional. It behaves less