[droopyEyelids]

This is fun to think about but I dont buy it.

All levels of aptitude/intelligence are equally likely to be conned because a con works by getting your emotions to turn your intelligence to the task of tricking you.

For example, by exciting your greed so much you come up with a justification for why an unusual circumstance is genuine.

[lmm]

> For example, by exciting your greed so much you come up with a justification for why an unusual circumstance is genuine.

But you might be better at that the more intelligent you are. E.g. I understand there's an established result that professional ethicists and ethics researchers act less ethically than the average person on average, because they find it easier to come up with excuses for how what they wanted to do was actually ethical.

[droopyEyelids]

Agreed! However, you're missing that the higher your aptitude, the higher the bar for tricking yourself.

So yes, a very intelligent person can come up with a sophisticated justification to trick themselves. A less intelligent person will come up with a less sophisticated narrative. Both people work on the con till it's enough to pass their bar, which is why I say it's a factor of desire rather than reason.