Are Humans Really Intelligent?

Meaning of Intelligence

Intelligence in simple words is defined as: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. Another definition of Intelligence I found says: The ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience. As we can understand, there is no fundamental difference between the two definitions.

Looking at the two definitions anyone should be able to make out that the main function of intelligence is to make life better; to bring ease to life.


Some background

Nature has endowed each and every creature on this planet with intelligence. If you ask evolutionists the reason for this then you will learn that intelligence exists in creatures to enable them survive in the world where the norm is “survival of the fittest”. One of the proven observations by the naturalists is that life on the planet is being governed by an immaculate mechanism of Nature according to which no species of organism would grow so much in population that it wipes out any other species and no species of organism would shrink so much in numbers that it gets wiped out by some other. It is evident from the process of natural selection in evolution that Nature takes due care that every species of organisms on this planet is best equipped to survive in its environment. Intelligence is just one of the tools to accomplish this purpose.

The important thing to note is that the difference between human and animal intelligence is one of degree and not of kind. So, it is still not wrong to say that the main function of intelligence is to make life better. After all, making tools and developing strategies for securing survival is certainly a process of betterment of life.

However, this meaning of intelligence is more clearly understood in relation to human life, because human life as it is today is largely driven by intelligence. Humans have invented so many tools to add comfort to their life that today they are almost totally free of the natural struggle for survival, unlike other creatures. That certainly “appears to be” a huge betterment of life.


Intelligence or pseudo-intelligence?

The question is: Have humans really bettered their life using their intelligence?

Looking on the surface of it human life seems to be a very developed one. They are living like the masters of the world. They have invented such tools that they no more need any kind of physical struggle as far as surviving in the natural environment is concerned. The words “comfort” and “convenience” are only justified by the way humans live. What an advancement of one species over the billions that have been on this planet!

Now, if you will remove the veil of ignorance then you should see a diametrically different picture. In truth, humans are living the most miserable, most destructive and the worst life on this planet. Tomorrow if the world is fully destroyed (which has already started happening) the reasons lie in thoughtless human activities like pollution, global warming, and relentless exhaustion of resources (not to mention inter-human fights, and wars!). At every step of the life humans are defying Nature’s laws and making their own life and the whole world worse.

Dwelling on the surface you might think you are not suffering surfing the web with your computer; sleeping in peace at night in your cozy bed rather than on a pile of leaves inside a cave; not experiencing pain every hour of the day due to tooth aches (which without modern dentistry are what we would have); having a car that you can use to visit friends living hundreds of miles away, et cetera. You might, instead, wonder how your life would be better without all these things.

Here are the explanations –

1. If you lived in caves then your life would be less convenient than it is now? Wrong! It's just like saying when electricity was not invented people weren't able to feel convenience that they feel today in an air-conditioned room...! Already being in comforts if you imagine life without those comforts then, of course, you would find it inconvenient. But when the comfort is not invented at all, and is inconceivable, there's no question of feeling inconvenience. People were always able to feel as comfortable as they can feel today. When fire was invented the arising feel of comfort would not have been any less than what man felt when he first drove a car. So, more technological advancement means more comfort and convenience is a flawed conviction! Intake of alcohol would give you the feel of great comfort, but just because of that is it good? That advancement which brings more harm (however in the long-run) than benefit is no advancement, and is doubtless undesirable!

2. Humans seem to be oblivious to the fact that all the comforts added to their lives today are taking high toll on natural resources as well as entire planet's living systems. Due to exhaustive human activities every living system in the biosphere is in decline and the rate of decline is accelerating. And those living systems provide the basis for all life. On the other hand, humans are not only getting used to all these comforts but are also getting genetically modified to live with those comforts. When the natural resources on which those comforts ride decline or finish (which is undoubtedly imminent) they will have no power live without them; or they would invent new ways which would further accelerate the degradation of living systems! The rate at which natural resources are being exhausted today is far greater than the rate of re-building of resources. These are by no means acts of intelligence.

3. The planet is naturally designed to accommodate only about a billion human beings. Until 1800 CE the human population has never exceeded a billion in numbers. But due to various inventions after the development of advanced science human population is increasing by leaps and bounds. Can you believe when John Kennedy was inaugurated the planet carried only half of the people compared to what it carries today! If you can not think beyond humanity and human welfare – that too, a short-term one – then it's okay. But if you can, then that's certainly not admissible, when you also check on the facts about how many species of creatures have gone extinct because of ever-increasing human needs. And why, it’s most certainly also affecting human welfare in the long run! Humans have been keeping comfort and convenience (short-term ones) ahead of survival (in the long-run), in importance. What to do of comforts when survival of the entire planet itself is being endangered! In truth, in the short-sightedness of human intelligence this fact is continually ignored.

One of the functions of intelligence is also to make out a difference between the right way and the wrong way and then choose the right one. Today, the humanity certainly knows what the right way is but utterly lacks the will to adopt it out of the insane greed for convenience arising off social, economic, and political situations. What humans are doing is out of intelligence, of course; but in doing so the word intelligence loses its meaning. Because humans are neither making their life better with intelligence anymore; nor are they “okay” for the safe survival of the entire life system on this planet.

These facts prove my kind a bunch of stupidest creatures on this planet. Here, stupidity is not an opposite of intelligence, but intelligence used unwisely. I would call it pseudo-intelligence. Or simply “human intelligence” – because so far this sort of intelligence is known to be existing only in humans!


Where’s the line between “natural intelligence” and “human intelligence”?

The point, beyond which the amount of intelligence no more betters life but rather degrades it, for humans as well as for Nature (for that matter, that humans are separate from Nature is an extremely insane thought), is the dividing point. Intelligence up to that point is natural intelligence, which is good and desirable; and intelligence beyond that point is human intelligence, which is the cause of most of the miseries of, and beyond, humanity.

After learning the difference between natural intelligence and human intelligence one should also be able to decide which actions are natural and which are unnatural. The actions driven by natural instincts and natural intelligence are natural actions, and the actions driven by human intelligence are unnatural acts.

IMPORTANT UPDATE (May 2011): I have changed my views on the things discussed in the above article. The reader should know that I am no longer holding all the views given there. Now the article is kept online just to remind me of my naivety at the time of writing it. My thoughts and knowledge-level have significantly changed (or should I say developed) since then. (To know my refined thoughts on the topic please follow this article: What Is Nature? Are Humans Really Destroying It?)

How to Attain Bliss Without Being In Himalayas?

Bliss in the sense of forever lasting happiness, as professed in mainstream spirituality, is impossible. The article is titled so only to attract people to come and read it.

The closest one can get to bliss is "perfect happiness". It is when one is feeling happiness, and at the same time is contented with the way things are.

Contentment, actually, is a state where there is neither suffering nor happiness. It's when a person is at ease in the mind, no matter what. Indifferent to one's circumstances, with no desires and expectations. This state can be attained by developing awareness about the existence and understanding the higher, indifferent reality beyond our human existence. But being in "contentment mode" always, is not a healthy way to live. It is not wrong, or bad; but staying in contentment is not living.

It's true, that the primary cause of all human miseries is that human life is driven by desires and expectations. And if one has to get rid of desires and expectations, one has to develop oneself beyond one's human existence and connect with the indifferent reality of the existence. Only then the desires-and-expectations-less state, contentment, can be reached. But then it is as good as death if one is not going to acknowledge one's human existence, with all one's human cravings.

Because human world is not always conducive to contentment, people who want to live in undisturbed contentment might choose to go live in some secluded place like the Himalayas. But as I said, pure contentment is not living at all, whether it is in the Himalayas or right here. Happiness is essential to make life, life.

Bliss, or perfect happiness, is happiness felt in presence of contentment deep on the inside. And I have worked out the way for myself as to how to live in the human world and still live in that way. In other words —

How to attain bliss without being in Himalayas?

Have you ever played a video game? Let's talk about Super Mario, my all time favorite video game!

There's this main protagonist Mario whose aim in the game is to get to his princess, facing many enemies and obstacles in the world called Mushroom Kingdom. There are hazards on the way like falling in the pits, being hit by fireballs etc., and of course, a host of enemies with powers of different types and degree. As against these adversities, Mario also finds on his way some things to his advantage like a mushroom called "1-Up" which increases his life, "Fire Flower" which gives Mario a weapon in the form of small fireballs with which he can kill enemies. Then there's this power called "Starman" which makes Mario invincible to most hazards for some time. The idea is to smartly and diligently use these powers against all adversities and reach the goal.

Don't you think that our life is also somewhat like this video game? Our aims may be different but we all face adversities and have got powers – internal as well as external – to fight these adversities. Your happiness or pain depends on just how smartly and diligently you live your life.

Now consider your life as a game. You are the main protagonist in this game. There are innumerable stages in this game like childhood, schooling, adulthood, love, work, marriage, divorce, riches, poverty etc. Through all the stages in the game there are things like making friends and enemies; pain and pleasures; love and hatred. You earn points when you make friends. Lose points when you make enemies. Earned love, earned points. Lost love, lost points. Consider points as a measure of happiness. That's how a game works. Human life has endless possibilities of occurrences. All the things which happen in your favor add to your points and those occurrences against you reduce the points. When you succeed through the tasks you jump up in happiness with "Whoa!" and "Wow!" and when you lose you throw the joystick with "Oh fuck!" and "Shit!"

Should you get depressed if you lose in this game? Well, if it's a game then ideally, you shouldn't. It's right that when you are playing the game your aim has to be winning, but the problem with this game called "human life" is that there's no ultimate winning in it. Instead, the two ultimate possibilities are: Either you lose; or you just have to keep playing it until the time is up. However, there are successes and failures all through it which is fun to face with. Success would fill you with happiness and excitement. Failure may demotivate you; even make you feel like flinging off the joystick. But after all, it's a game, not the "real world". What you experience in the "game world" is left behind when you are done playing the game and return in your "real world".

Happenings of the "game world" can not affect your behavior in the "real world", unless you are so obsessed with the game that you have lost your mind and the realization that the two worlds are different. A sane person knows that a game was a game and a life is a life. The "game world" was simulated, illusory and fictitious; made just for some thrill and fun. Thus, as long as you are aware of the existence of the "real world", the "game world" can not rule your mind once you are away from the game.

Human life, the way you see it, is all illusory. You believe in the things which do not exist. You believe in friendships, relationships, God, love, soulmates etc etc. All of it, the way you perceive it, is simply inexistent in reality. They are like things of the "game world". This renders the seemingly real world nothing but a game. You are living under the false impression of all this being real. Furthermore, you think it's all you have. It's like being insanely obsessed with the "game world", where unreal things continually prey on your mind, giving you pleasures and pains, and absolutely controlling your life.

All you need for attaining bliss/perfect happiness in this world is the realization of truth. You have to know the ultimate reality of existence. When you start seeing the illusory things as illusions, you will automatically start dwelling in the "real world" – the world of indifference. When you start seeing existence in its actual form you will start taking it merely as a game. Then it's your decision whether you want to play it or not. Or how you want to play it. When you are playing it you might do everything what everyone else is doing. As it is, you can't just sit under a tree idling when you are living in the human world. You have to be active here. So, you might set goals. You might have desires and expectations, successes and failures, and consequently, happiness and pain.

With all of this, however, the most important thing which you will have is the knowledge of the reality. The realization that all this is a part of the play. Then nothing which happens in the game will affect your spirit. Because on the inside you know, and are living in the "real world". On the inside, you are already in perfect happiness. You are in bliss which nothing and no one in this "game world" can take from you.

Update: Note that "perfect happiness" is not absence of suffering (that is not possible), but there suffering is at its lowest minimum level. Also, I am letting go of the word "bliss" from my future writing, because bliss only means "forever lasting happiness", and the way I use it creates confusion in the readers. Forever lasting happiness is an impossible idea.

• What is the ultimate truth or the highest reality?
• What is the real world, game world and the ultimate reality of life?