Applied more broadly, the general argument is that we deceive ourselves the
better to deceive others.
And there is an intimate association between our immune system and our
psyches, such that self-deception is often associated with major immune
effects, all of which must be calculated if we are to understand the full
biological effects of our mental lives (see Chapter 6). There is a whole world
of social psychology that shows how our minds bias information, from initial
avoidance, to false encoding, memory, and logic, to incorrect statements to
others—from one end to the other (see Chapter 7). Key mechanisms include
denial, projection, and perpetual efforts to reduce cognitive dissonance.
Perhaps worst of all—from an evolutionary perspective—there is now lower
negative biological feedback on those making bad decisions. You decide,
hundreds die—but do you also die or even suffer?
There are two great axes in human mental life: intelligence and
consciousness. You can be very bright but unconscious, or slow but
conscious, or any of the combinations in between. Of course, consciousness
comes in many forms and degrees. We can deny reality and then deny the
denial.
The Folly of Fools - The Logic of Deceit and Self-deception in Human Life.pdf
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