It is obvious that an animal possess intellect only for the purpose of discovering and capturing its food; the degree of intellect it possesses is determined by this purpose. It is no different in the case of man.
Arthur Schopenhauer, On Human Nature
This is a quote Schopenhauer used to justify that humans, unlike animals, are destined to suffer greater pain and boredom. The propensity to be bored is a sign of intelligence. Animals, he thinks, feel very little boredom because they only possess the level of intelligence that help them self-defend and capture prey. For humans, it is different. It takes a lot richer and more varied environment to hold the interests of a smart man. And sadly, the real world does not measure up.
I rarely contemplate on the extraordinariness of human intelligence: the capacity to think, reason and create. For me it contains a side of darkness and misfortune that is just as present. Intelligence exists in most, yet only thrives in few.
When I was younger, I was acutely fed up with things I was taught. The school system encouraged students to compete against each other, and the things we studied were mostly designed for political reasons and exams. I was always relearning old things and revising for the same materials and I was given no space to explore. Throughout the years I remained a mediocre student – I never paid attention, but I was never bad. Later in hindsight I came to terms that intelligence is only a gift when it is understood and encouraged.
Intelligence also does not guarantee happiness and serenity. When I do have the freedom to expand my mind, my problems with happiness had not eliminated. There was a phase in my life in which I spent a lot of time reading but still felt unhappy. Reading tons of books was in fact fundamentally different from acquiring wisdom (unfortunately). Understanding a highbrow subject still teaches me little about how to live a good, satisfying life. It is for most part academic, intense and information-packed. I could end up having no clues who I am and how to stay calm when I am consumed with frustration and passion.
Jordan Peterson mentioned a concept that changed my outlook on the role of intelligence played in my identity construction and self-knowledge. He argued that to understand ourselves we need to get detached from our intellectual content, because what we know does not always represent who we are and what we stand for. This is especially dangerous for those who have obtained higher education and with an open mind, because their opinions about themselves might be liable to unwarranted changes under a particular situation.
It boils down to how we use intelligence. Schopenhauer is right in that he understands humans are faced with a more challenging task, the task to live well. We are more complicated animals and our passions are more difficult to contain. To live a good life, we needs to utilise our intelligence to not only get out of everyday boredom, but also to learn what it means for us to lead a truly joyful life.
Siming Lan 