If you're watching “WestWorld”, HBO’s fantastic sci-fi series, but didn't get too far into it, don't worry. The following is not much of a spoiler. You have probably familiarized yourself already with the character of Dr. Ford, the founder of the WestWorld enterprise which is played so wonderfully by Sir Anthony Hopkins, so you shouldn't be too surprised, that he says the following, in one of the last episodes of the season:
"The human intellect was like peacock feathers. It's an extravagant display intended to attract a mate. All of art, literature, a bit of Mozart, William Shakespeare, Michelangelo, and the Empire State building... just an elaborate mating ritual. Maybe it doesn't matter that we have accomplished so much for the basest of reasons. The peacock can barely fly. It lives in the dirt, pecking insects out of the muck, consoling itself with its great beauty.”
Dr. Ford says this in one of the dramatic peaks of the season's plot, but as I was watching it, greatly surprised by the turn of events, I could still pay attention to this rather disturbing idea and think about it. “Intellect is like peacock feathers? Could it be true?”
Well it may very well be true, or at least something worth exploring and contemplating about.
Why? Well, in order to answer that, we first have to understand why peacocks carry their long and colorful tales around, in a way that seem to defy reason. Not only that the tail feathers are like a flashy “Eat me!” sign, they also make it very difficult for the peacocks to fly and escape from predators. So why would evolution allow such a phenomenon to exit?
The answer may be found in what is called, “The handicap principle”. A theory, proposed by the Israeli zoologist, Amotz Zahavi. It explains certain biological phenomena, in which a species seem to possess features or behaviors that may work against their survival. The reason, as the theory explains, is a need for honest communication. The handicapping feature is such, that it sends a message that is too costly to fake. In the case of the peacock tail, the length and colorfulness of the tail feathers, are a symbol of the individual male’s fitness, for if the tail was too handicapping for its ability to fly, it would be caught and eaten by predators.
So is the human intellect like peacock feathers? Well, as every intellectual probably knows, intellectualism is certainly a handicap. But can it be a babe magnet? The answer, like with everything human, is that it’s a bit more complex. But to try and still put it in simple terms, if you can quote from Shakespeare and still not be a complete nerd, then yes. It does significantly improves your attractiveness.
I, as an intellectual, can see deeper and further implications of this idea, but I leave it to the readers to figure out for yourself what it means to you. They may be quite eye opening, especially in today's atmosphere, where intellectualism is often frowned at.
(Source of image: Wikipedia)