Can we consider the nature of our civilisations if the Socratic method of question and answer to elicit the power of critical thinking had displaced religious myths from the minds of the ignorant masses; the slaves and the serfs. Of course, it must be said that the Enlightenment was needed before humankind could foster the freedom that would permit thought to distinguish the mythical from reasoned explanations for natural phenomena. Moreover, understanding the depth of indoctrination that parents and guardians mostly unwittingly impose on children, is lost in the attempt to adhere to traditional ignorance as the safest means for survival.
Unfortunately, in seeking that safety, inquiry and curiosity has been slowed; some would say inhibited, to the point where adaptability to changing environment becomes restricted by limiting the ability to question our existence as children. It should come as no surprise then, that adults who have never discovered the value of the Socratic method seek to ensure that myth overrides the truth of evidence that would, if permitted, enlighten, educate, and replace religious fear and ignorance with knowledge of reality in the here and now.