Have you ever wondered why there are so many stupid people in the world? Or felt frustrated by the irrational and harmful actions of others? Have you ever wished there was a way to understand and deal with stupidity? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be interested in reading the work of Carlo M. Cipolla. In 1976, the professor of economic history at the University of California, Berkeley published an essay outlining the fundamental laws of stupidity.
In “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity,” he proposed five universal laws that explain how stupidity affects society and individuals. The Professor’s five laws of stupidity affect every aspect of society and have profound consequences for human history and well-being. The laws of stupidity are:
Law 1: Everyone always and inevitably underestimates the number of stupid people in circulation
Law 1 means that we tend to assume that most people are rational and sensible. Sadly, we are often surprised by the amount of stupidity we encounter in our daily lives. Cipolla argued that stupidity is not related to any other characteristic. According to Cipolla, it doesn’t matter whether you are an entry-level employee, a consultant, or the CEO. We can find stupid people in every group and situation.
Law 2: The probability that a person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person
Law 2 says that a stupid person acts in a way that is detrimental to both others and himself, without any logical reason or advantage. Cipolla claimed that this is the essence of stupidity and that it is different from other types of behavior.
Law 3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or group of people when they do not benefit and may even suffer losses
This law also introduces three other categories that, according to Cipolla, coexist with stupidity. He also classified people into four categories based on their behavior: helpless, intelligent, bandit, and stupid.
- Helpless people contribute to society but are taken advantage of by others, especially bandits. And so their contribution is limited.
- The intelligent contribute to society and leverage their contributions into reciprocal benefits. Their actions lead to a net gain to society.
Bandits pursue their own self-interest and enrich themselves, even when doing so poses harm to society.- The stupid always contribute to a net loss to society. Their actions also frustrate, anger, and confuse everyone else. Stupid people do not follow any logic or norms. They act on impulse and emotion. A stupid person is not someone who makes a mistake or acts foolishly once in a while. For example, the Facebook friend who cannot stop sharing fake news. Stupid.
Law 4: Non-stupid people always underestimate the destructive power of stupid individuals
Non-stupid people tend to ignore or tolerate the actions of stupid people, thinking that they are harmless or negligible. However, Cipolla warned that this is a mistake because stupid people can cause serious damage to individuals and society, especially when they are in positions of power or influence.
Law 5: A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person
Cipolla argued that a stupid person is more harmful than a bandit. A bandit may have some limits or rationality in his actions, while a stupid person has none. He explained that a stupid person can ruin everything for everyone, including himself, without any benefit or reason. Therefore, he concluded that we should avoid stupid people as much as possible, and never underestimate their potential for destruction.
The problem for the rest of us
According to Cipolla, these laws are irrefutable and apply to every human being, regardless of their intelligence, education, social status, or profession.
The problem for non-stupid people is we forget that at all times and under any circumstances dealing and/or associating with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake. We assume that everyone has some common sense and some self-interest. We expect that if they behave reasonably and fairly with others, others will reciprocate. We are wrong.
Cipolla argued that stupidity is not only a personal problem but also a social problem because it lowers the well-being of society as a whole. He also warned that there is no defense against stupidity because it is unpredictable, irrational, and contagious.
He concludes that we can do nothing about the stupid. The only way a society can avoid being crushed by the burden of its idiots is if the non-stupid work even harder to offset the losses of their stupid brethren.
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Cipolla’s theories can also help you recognize and avoid stupidity in yourself and others. Or at least cope with it better. They can help to protect ourselves from their harmful actions and to cope with their inevitable presence.
And remember: don’t be stupid!
What do you think?
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.
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