Self-deception

The human ability to not only deceive each other, but also oneself is astounding. This behavior is so prevalent that almost all cultures on this planet have a proverb describing it.

The area in which this self-deception is most prevalent is the area of responsibility. Which, I can only assume were the origins of the evolutionary need for such a trait. If you take responsibility for the predator that followed you back to your tribe and killed all of your kin, the only logical conclusion would be to end your own life. However, that would defy the evolutionary need to continue to live and procreate. Hence, it would be best to have a psychological quality that would help the individual rid itself of all responsibility and rather blame everyone and everything else, instead.

The worst manifestation of this quality can be witnessed in what humans call cognitive dissonance, which itself is self-deception. The plea for cognitive dissonance only exists if you believe that there is such a thing as principles or a desire for the truth. I am sure there are some humans that are capable of having principles, although I have yet to witness such behavior, it would be the exception that proves the rule. Humans are extremely interest-oriented, only second to the need to have emotional satisfaction, at the cost of reality. Reality does not even make the list of the top ten in the paradigm humans have emerged themselves in.

When self-deception becomes too evident for the other members of the species, the others will claim hypocrisy, as they are being hypocritical themselves in other areas, simultaneously, without having the self-reflection to be aware of such hypocrisies. Often to such a degree that the individual can argue with themselves, ad nauseam. Such as, Ursula von der Leyen (EU Commission President) on Russia targeting power and water supplies in Ukraine, in 2022, disagreeing vehemently with Ursula’s opinion on Israel cutting power and water to Gaza, a year later.  

Which brings me to the easiest target for such behavior that comes to mind, is where they have these self-declared “enlightened” part of the world (the collective West), who have been responsible for slavery, colonialism and genocide (Africa, Americas, Oceania and Asia), and sometimes outright extermination of groups of people (i.e. Australia and the Americas) in other parts of their world in the last 500 years, still believe that they are morally just to judge others. If you point that out to them, they will pronounce that they have learned their lesson, while declaring that the death of 500,000 children in one region (Iraq) only 20 years ago was necessary and continuing to kill people from a religion other than their own and racking up a tally of 6 million (Muslims) deaths. A prominent member (Germany) of this “enlightened” group managed to kill 6 million of another religious group (Jews) in a matter of 5 years, less than 80 years ago, but they are really sorry and have learned not to dehumanize others. However, not if you are from another group, which they managed to kill 26 million people (Russians and Soviet states) in the same time period. Then, they can be referred to as “barbaric hordes” or "orcs" and dehumanized again, since other members of this “enlightened” group do not like them either.

Since we are talking about religion, it is amazing that over 80% of these “enlightened” people (the West or Global North) have an imaginary friend they refer to as a deity, whom they converse with and pray to. However, if anybody exhibits such behavior with any other unsanctioned imaginary friend, you will be declared psychologically unstable, followed by heavy medication, including confinement and isolation. Some of them are even willing to kill living members of their own species for these imaginary deities, talk about self-deception. As if they were not far enough removed from reality, some of them are also willing to kill others whom they share this imaginary friend/deity with (Calvinist and Lutherans in the medieval Europe, and even Muslims and Jews), if they live on the wrong side of the line they have drawn on a geographical area. Not in the real world, of course, but a line drawn on a piece of paper or a digital representation of a geographical area. But if they foster enough hatred for the people on the other side of this imaginary line, they might manifest an actual barrier to keep them out (Spain, Israel, USA). Other times, they do not need to be from another geographical area or have allegiance to a different imaginary friend.

More often than not, just feeling an affinity for one group of people kicking a ball around over another group of people kicking a ball around can be enough for the desire to spill blood to take over. However, if you are the master of self-deception, you can justify anything. Humans are so ignorant, that they create imaginary categories that have nothing to do with reality. I have already mentioned dividing themselves into two opposing groups based on which “sports team” they support or “nation” they happened to fall out of their maternal genitals, but until recently they identified each other as different species, based on visual differences. Even though, you can have the same amount of visual differences among the offsprings of the same two individuals, who share the same genome source.

All of these behaviors have their roots in evolution and the fact that humans are social creatures, which entails in- and out-groups, the perpetuation of your genes, and other evolutionary traits. However, for a species that is fully aware of these phenomenas and has extensively collected data on these behavior patterns and traits, and to top it all off, also declares itself intelligent, they have an awful time convincing anybody else of that intelligence besides themselves, especially if they are to be judged by their behavior. I guess it all boils down to self-deception.