Intelligence Doesn’t Equate Morality

" A moral system valid for all is basically immoral. "
― Friedrich Nietzsche

It is a deeply faulty assumption to think that the more seemingly intelligent one is, the more moral that person is. Just like getting older does not necessarily mean getting wiser, the same stands true for when it comes to blindly pairing intelligence to morality. Mind you, some of the most intelligent beings on the planet from an intellectual point of view have also proven to be ones who engage in astonishingly immoral acts. Yet when we stand face to face with a doctor, we mistakenly assume that because of the nature of his work, this person is inevitably a moral and ethical one.

Intelligence is not only very subjective, but it’s also a double-edged weapon. Some use it as a tool to meet their selfish or cruel ends. Others may use it as a justification or as an excuse to avoid working on their internal selves. Because after all, if one is smart, one stands necessarily higher than others, right?
Contrary to popular belief, morality doesn’t always come naturally. Especially not in a society where dysfunction runs the show, and empathy is a scarce resource. You can have the most brilliant mind on the planet, and yet hold brutal rage in your heart. Does having the highest IQ on the block makes you immoral proof?

Truth be told, your internal ethical barometer doesn’t increase in relation to your smartness. From another perspective, wouldn’t it be fair to say that the more you know, the more it puts you at risk of using what you know against others? By thinking you can get your way because of your status/your job/your IQ/ , you may just end up doing things that one who doesn’t think of themselves so highly would perhaps not do.

After all, who would dare think the holder of a ph. D could also hold the mind of a criminal? Interestingly, this reminds me of the biased way of analyzing prospective dating partners of someone I once knew. He went to university, therefore he can’t be a rapist, can he? I have yet to have heard a more flawed association.

Now, one could ask “if one doesn’t know he/she is being immoral, does that take away their responsibility?” To which my answer would be absolutely not. The vast majority of human beings possess the capacity to distinguish right from wrong. While it may be more easy to spot the wrongdoings in others because we secretly favor ourselves, we nonetheless have the choice to tap into this all too crucial skill called self-awareness. The choice to use it or not use it is ours, but the outcome of a lack of a proper use is still ours, and thus we can’t simply walk away discarding what we have done - whether consciously or not.