Philosophy               Theories of Stupidity               26 May 2024


   Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and philosopher, claimed
   that "stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice."
   These words were dedicated to the ten-year "anniversary" of Hitler's
   rise to power.  Two years after this statement, following a period of
   imprisonment in a concentration camp, Bonhoeffer was executed.

   He believed that evil could be fought, exposed, and even defeated.
   Evil has a destructive impact on human society, yet it can be
   overcome through legal or forceful means.  In contrast, against
   stupidity, we are utterly powerless:

   |  Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here;
   |  reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one's
   |  prejudgment simply need not be believed - in such moments the
   |  stupid person even becomes critical - and when facts are
   |  irrefutable, they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as
   |  incidental.  In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the
   |  malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily
   |  irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. 
   |  
   |  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

   Bonhoeffer asserted that stupidity is neither a psychological nor an
   intellectual issue - its nature is purely social.  Stupidity is
   inseparable from human nature and is reproduced by the simple
   mechanics of social upbringing since prehistoric times.
   Unfortunately, each of us is, to some extent, susceptible to
   stupidity because, yes, we live in a society of stupid ones.

   However, according to Bonhoeffer, people who are more isolated from
   society (especially if by their own choice) are less prone to
   stupidity.  Such individuals are more inclined to reflect and,
   logically, are less susceptible to propaganda.  They manage to rid
   themselves of the social defect of stupidity, which is largely caused
   by dependence on public opinion.

   Echoing Bonhoeffer, Professor of Economic History at the University
   of California, Berkeley, Carlo Cipolla, published an essay in 1976
   titled "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity," in which he was even more
   radical than Bonhoeffer and viewed stupidity as an existential threat
   to humanity.

   According to Cipolla, stupid people have several distinctive traits:

   *  They are abundant;

   *  They are irrational;

   *  They cause problems for others without apparent benefit to
      themselves, thereby lowering society's total well-being.

   Thus, it turns out Bonhoeffer was right: human stupidity itself is an
   evil that is very difficult to combat.  Stupidity is indeed a more
   dangerous enemy than evil itself.

   Cipolla believes that people always underestimate the number of fools
   around them.  No matter how many idiots we suspect in our
   surroundings, according to Cipolla, our inner optimist always
   underestimates their total number.  Yes, living in a world where,
   everywhere you look, there's a fool, is not very comfortable.

   The percentage of stupid people in different groups of society
   remains constant.  Every category one can imagine - gender, race,
   nationality, education level, income - possesses a fixed percentage
   of stupid people.  Stupid people exist in every country on Earth.  In
   every society.  In every government.  At every workplace.
   Everywhere.

   According to Cipolla, a stupid person is someone who causes losses to
   another person or a group of people while deriving no gain and
   possibly even incurring losses themselves.  He calls this the "golden
   law of stupidity."  This law implies the existence of three other
   types of people besides fools.  First, there is the intelligent
   person, whose actions benefit both themselves and others.  Then,
   there is the bandit, who benefits themselves at others' expense.  And
   lastly, there is the helpless person, whose actions enrich others at
   their own expense.

   Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid
   individuals.  In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that
   at all times and places and under any circumstances, dealing or
   associating with stupid people always turns out to be a costly
   mistake.  We underestimate the stupid, and we do so at our own peril.

   |  A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit. 
   |  
   |  Carlo Cipolla

   Unfortunately, we have no tool for combating stupid people.  The
   difference between societies that crumble under the weight of their
   foolish citizens and those that prevail lies in the composition of
   non-stupid people.  Those who progress despite the fools around them
   have a high percentage of people acting rationally, compensating for
   the losses caused by the stupid by bringing benefits to themselves
   and their peers.

   Societies in decline have the same percentage of stupid people as
   successful ones.  However, they also have a high percentage of people
   who profit others while incurring losses themselves.  And, as Cipolla
   writes, "an alarming proliferation of the bandits with overtones of
   stupidity."

   History confirms that countries typically progress when enough
   intelligent people are in power to restrain the active fools (hello,
   AfD) and prevent them from destroying what the intelligent have
   produced.  In declining countries, the upper echelons are usually
   dominated by stupid bandits, while the populace consists largely of
   naive simpletons.  And we know, unfortunately, where this usually
   leads.





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