How Not to Be Stupid

This article argues that avoiding stupidity is more important than being intelligent, drawing heavily on Carlo M. Cipolla’s 1976 essay, “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.” The author posits that stupidity is humanity’s greatest existential threat.

The Five Laws of Human Stupidity

The core of the article explains Cipolla’s five fundamental laws:

1. First Law: We always underestimate the number of stupid people in circulation.
2. Second Law: The probability of a person being stupid is independent of any other characteristic, such as education, wealth, or social status.
3. Third (Golden) Law: A stupid person is one who causes losses to others while deriving no gain, and possibly even incurring losses themselves. This is contrasted with intelligent people (win-win), bandits (win-lose), and helpless people (lose-win).
4. Fourth Law: We always underestimate the destructive power of stupid individuals. Associating with them inevitably leads to costly mistakes because their actions are irrational and unpredictable.
5. Fifth Law: A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person, more so than a bandit, because their actions create a net loss for society with no corresponding gain.

Conclusions and Takeaways

The article concludes that a society’s health depends on how it manages its stupid population. A thriving society has intelligent people who contain the influence of the stupid and generate enough progress to offset the damage. Conversely, a declining society allows stupid people and “bandits with elements of stupidity” to gain power.

On a personal level, the author advises readers on how to avoid acting stupidly. Key advice includes being vigilant, especially under stress or during crucial life stages (youth and after achieving success), and asking two questions before making a decision: “Will I gain from this?” and “Will this help or harm others?” The article also offers a final piece of self-reflection: if you believe you are surrounded only by stupid people, you should question if you are truly the intelligent one in the group.

Mentoring question

Reflecting on Cipolla’s definition of a ‘stupid action’—one that harms others with no benefit to yourself—can you identify a time when, under stress or distraction, you made a decision that fit this description, and what could you do to avoid similar irrational mistakes in the future?

Source: https://52notatki.substack.com/p/jak-nie-byc-gupim