Most of it is 'monkey see, monkey do', and with the advent of the MPL, anyone with a normal IQ, normal coordination skills will be able to become a pilot in the near future.
I think you should rephrase that, Doug. People with normal IQ and normal co-ordination skills already do hold down jobs on a flight deck. Whether or not they can be accurately described as pilots as opposed to button-pushers is a matter of opinion. Some can be; some can't. We only find out when matters take a turn for the worse and they are required actually to fly the aircraft themselves and to act and think quickly.
Safety in aviation has been bought with the blood of thousands. The people who control us have never been anywhere near the coal-face and do not fully appreciate the risks they are "managing". I fear the holes in the cheese slices are beginning to line up. Ryanair sails very close to the wind. It could easily have had two hull losses in recent times; it has had the luck of the Irish. It seems that's what some of our high-priced helps want us to emulate.