SELF DECEPTION: THE ELEPHANT, THE RIDER, THE DEMON, AND THE MACHINE The “Rider”

SELF DECEPTION: THE ELEPHANT, THE RIDER, THE DEMON, AND THE MACHINE

The “Rider” may not be able to engage in self deception, but the “Elephant” can absolutely deceive the “Rider”.

The Rider: Reason (System 2) (the calculative system)

The Elephant: Intuition (System 1) (The “Search” system)

The Demon : The Cooperative Instinct (System 0) (Biases Property to Reproductive strategy)

The Machine : The “Property” Instinct : (System Null) (Acquisitiveness)

I knew it was possible to engage in self-deception, but I wasn’t able to articulate it before. Since ‘self’ consists of three entities, and the ‘self’ we are cognizant of is only one of three agents, the elephant can train the rider. Easily it turns out.

The Demon is not aware of itself, it merely responds to commands. The Rider is cognizant of the elephant, but the Elephant chooses between the rider and the Demon, and never tells the rider of the Demon.

HUMANS ENGAGE IN SELF DECEPTION. THE SINGULAR SELF IS A FALLACY. THE ARGUMENT AGAINST SELF DECEPTION DEPENDS UPON THIS FALLACY.