"It is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value"

Stephen Hawking’s assertion raises profound questions about the nature of intelligence and its evolutionary and existential consequences. Traditionally, intelligence is viewed as a remarkable advantage, enabling a species to adapt, manipulate environments, solve problems, and ensure survival. For humans, this capacity has led to unprecedented technological and cultural advances, transforming the planet and extending lifespans. Yet, the very same attribute that facilitated so much progress also harbors potential for self-destruction.

Intelligence, at its pinnacle, extends far beyond instinctual or even tool-using behaviors observed in some other animals. Human ingenuity has split the atom, unlocked genetic codes, connected global societies, and expanded into cyberspace. However, these accomplishments have come with unforeseen costs. Weapons of mass destruction, environmental degradation, resource depletion, and the threat of artificial intelligence all arise from the exercise of advanced cognitive abilities. These threats are not simply misapplications but are intimately tied to the very faculties once celebrated as evolutionary advances.

Hawking’s observation suggests that intelligence does not guarantee wisdom or self-restraint. The capacity to imagine and create does not inherently include the foresight or morality to prevent self-inflicted harm. Human history is punctuated by crises spawned by short-sightedness, greed, and the escalation of technologies beyond ethical frameworks or collective wisdom. Across geological time, many species thrived without self-awareness or complex reasoning and perished due to natural causes, while we risk orchestrating our own extinction by virtue of our intellect.

The paradox is that intelligence, while offering tools for survival, also gives rise to new, unprecedented risks. Unless paired with a commensurate evolution in ethical reasoning, collective responsibility, and long-term vision, higher intelligence could ultimately become maladaptive. Hawking’s perspective is a cautionary reflection: our potential for greatness and self-obliteration are intertwined, and the future hinges on how wisely we wield the very abilities that distinguish us.