Thanks Gabriel 
LOL This sort of goes right against my ‘non-proliferation’ stance 
All too much speculating for my taste I’m afraid 
No matter what hypothesis is constructed, it will alter nothing. Views are just views… and arguments are such a waste of time…
If I had to speculate, I’d say that the answer is of the same nature as the answer to ‘Did the Buddha teach consent’ thread. That what we assume is normal now (in terms of mind hyperstimulation and information overload) was just not an issue then. The extent to which the intellect has risen to such primacy together with this new bombardment of sense and Mind stimulation/agitation/distraction has had an enormous impact, and can even be seen by the fact that the actual structure of the brain is being modified…
But, Life is short, there isn’t even a guarantee that we will live to see tomorrow. I keep the sense of urgency for practice alive by remembering the ‘head on fire’ image from the suttas - I’ll post it below, for those who may not be familiar with it
So I have to ask… What is most worth focusing on, given that our attention is finite? What helps and what hinders progress on the Path? This stuff (speculation and arguments) is just ‘entertainment’ as far as I’m concerned. - There is absolutely nothing ‘wrong’ with it in itself, as long as one is making an informed choice about where to focus attention and what kind of outcomes to expect as a result
with metta and best wishes
AN 6.20 extract
…And if I died from that it would stop my practice. ’ That mendicant should reflect: ‘Are there any bad, unskillful qualities that I haven’t given up, which might be an obstacle to me if I die tonight?’
Suppose that, upon checking, a mendicant knows that there are such bad, unskillful qualities. Then in order to give them up they should apply outstanding enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness. Suppose your clothes or head were on fire. In order to extinguish it, you’d apply intense enthusiasm, effort, zeal, vigor, perseverance, mindfulness, and situational awareness. In the same way, in order to give up those bad, unskillful qualities, that mendicant should apply outstanding enthusiasm …
https://suttacentral.net/an6.20/en/sujato