Manipulation of Intelligence

“It takes intelligence to manipulate intelligence.”

Unlike other animals, humans are the only species that are capable of high-level intellectual reasoning and problem-solving; however, humans also use the same intelligence that has been the reason for their advancement, as a double-edged sword to deceive themselves. Instead of using our intelligence to face and resolve our difficulties, we use our intelligence through rationalization, justification and other means of intellectual self-deception, to reason “why” certain things are not as bad or as difficult as they appear to be; or we convince ourselves that difficulties are “meant to be” or that “they will resolve themselves” without any active effort and input from us.

The main reason we manipulate ourselves through the use of our intelligence is because facing and accepting life’s challenges and difficulties are dislikable, and sometimes even painful. Unlike other animals who face their challenges and either eliminate their problems or get-away from their troubles; we choose to remain with our problems because facing them or making a decision to get-away from them is a dislikable and difficult process to undertake. This is why, when difficulties arise, we continuously ask “why” did it happen; because we use our intelligence to find purpose and meaning for something. Less intelligent animals don’t look for external purpose or meaning for something; they simply deal with it, because purpose and meaning signify an intentional-agent that caused that thing, and animals don’t care who or what caused it, they just want to be safe.

However, for humans to not know “why” something happened is difficult, hence why we concoct fallacious-beliefs such as imaginary-agency or superstitions, in order to reason the purpose and meaning of the difficulty. This is why, humans, unlike other animals, are capable of self-deception, which is designated as one of the 10-Enemies of Self-Improvement in Theory of Self-Relativity.