Emotivism: Deliberate Social Engineering or the Historical Consequence of the Enlightenment

Deliberate through mass education and justified by successive ideologies that have taken hold in that institution.

Yes, the dichotomy between historical causes isn't a true one - both could be at work.

Thomas F. Bertonneau: Post-Literacy and the Refusal to Read
Post-Literacy Continued
Discussion at The Thinking Housewive: Post-Literacy Chews Up Minds