The Creative Contrarian

Wise Fool Strategy # 16Stop Fooling Yourself

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”

— Richard Feynman, American Physicist

The Wise Fool knows that deception is a fundamental part of life. This artfulness occurs at all levels — from gene to cell to individual to group. Viruses and bacteria practice it: for example, HIV changes coat proteins so often that the host has a difficult time mounting a defense against it. Plants, insects, and virtually all members of the animal kingdom also have ways of deceiving the other organisms in their surroundings. Many orchid species are pollinated by offering their pollinators only the illusion of something they desire but not its reality. Animals camouflage themselves for protection against predators: the skin of octopuses can change color in mere seconds.

On the human level, deception runs deep in our interactions with others. We see it in war: commanders feign weakness to lure an enemy into battle, or fake strength to prevent an enemy attack. In politics and courtship, politicians and lovers hide character flaws. In statecraft, governments mislead their citizens with flowery promises about programs that will contribute to the common good, but that in fact often benefit only an elite few. In riddles, puzzlers use equivocal and extraneous information to delude would-be solvers into ...