Humanity and stupidity have been central themes of philosophical, psychological, and cultural reflection across the centuries. Although generally considered opposites, their relationship is, in truth, complex, ambiguous, and often intertwined.
The most recent developments on the international political scene, alongside social changes strongly marked by disruptive technological innovations that crisis-test the structural norms of our communities, force us to review these concepts in light of our most fundamental interest: survival.
This brief text proposes a synthesis of contemporary theories on the subject, highlighting authors such as Carlo M. Cipolla, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Vítor J. Rodrigues, Matthijs van Boxsel, and José Antonio Marina, while incorporating classical reflections from thinkers like Plato, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Hannah Arendt.
1. Stupidity as a Historical Force: Carlo M. Cipolla In his essay “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity” (1988), Italian historian Carlo M. Cipolla proposes an almost mathematical approach to understanding stupidity. His third law defines a stupid person as one who causes losses to another person or group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even incurring losses.
Cipolla further points out that stupid people are more dangerous than bandits because they are unpredictable and impervious to logic. By dividing individuals into four categories—the intelligent, the bandit, the helpless, and the stupid—Cipolla shows that stupidity does not correlate with class, profession, or education level, being equally distributed across the population. This universality makes it a structural and persistent phenomenon in human societies.
2. Stupidity as an Ethical and Political Problem: Dietrich Bonhoeffer During World War II, German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a brief and powerful analysis of human stupidity from his prison cell. He considered it a more dangerous enemy than malice, because while evil can be denounced, exposed, and fought against with force, stupidity is immune to rational argument.
For Bonhoeffer, stupidity is not a cognitive failure, but a moral and social defect that manifests in contexts of conformism and blind obedience, especially under totalitarian regimes. His analysis partly anticipates the concept of the “banality of evil” proposed by Hannah Arendt when describing the behavior of Adolf Eichmann. Both view stupidity as uncritical complicity devoid of reflection, facilitating mass atrocities.
3. The Psychology of Stupidity: Vítor J. Rodrigues In the book “Teoria Geral da Estupidez Humana,” Portuguese psychologist Vítor J. Rodrigues offers a psychological reading of the phenomenon. For Rodrigues, stupidity is more than the absence of intelligence: it is an active form of resistance to intelligent adaptation. It is an attitude of closure, of rejecting critical reflection and self-questioning.
Rodrigues argues that many supposedly intelligent people fail in their social interactions because they cannot cope with the irrationality of others. Thus, stupidity is also a relational and adaptive problem, rather than merely a matter of IQ.
4. The Culture of Stupidity: Matthijs van Boxsel In the “Encyclopedia of Stupidity,” Dutch historian Matthijs van Boxsel explores the presence of stupidity across all dimensions of human civilization. His central thesis is that no one is intelligent enough to comprehend their own stupidity.
According to van Boxsel, stupidity is simultaneously a creative and destructive force, both the engine and the obstacle of culture. He gathers historical and anecdotal examples to demonstrate that stupidity is not an exception, but the rule. Contrary to what we assume, it is not an abnormal flaw, but a common expression of the human condition through which society continuously builds and destroys itself.
5. Intelligence as a Project: José Antonio Marina José Antonio Marina, a Spanish philosopher and educator, dedicates his work to intelligence not as a natural given, but as an existential project. In “Teoria da Inteligência Criadora” (1993), he distinguishes between generative intelligence (the capacity to create ideas and emotions) and executive intelligence (the capacity to decide and act). Intelligence, for Marina, is not merely cognitive efficiency: it is a tool to build freedom and happiness.
In the book “A Inteligência Fracassada” (2004), Marina shows that intelligent people often make poor decisions due to failures of will, uncontrolled emotions, or misguided goals. Thus, he understands that stupidity arises not from a lack of reason, but from an absence of moral and emotional regulation. He proposes a “vaccine against stupidity”: an educational program that develops critical thinking, empathy, and autonomy.
6. Philosophical Roots: Plato, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Arendt Plato already warned against doxa (opinion) as an obstacle to true knowledge (episteme). For him, stupidity stems from an attachment to appearances and a lack of philosophical exercise. Kant, on the other hand, defended “enlightenment” as the exit from self-incurred minority—that is, the inability to use one’s own understanding without another’s guidance. Schopenhauer viewed stupidity as an inevitable part of existence, given the dominance of will over reason. Finally, Hannah Arendt, in her analysis of totalitarianism, showed how the banality of evil is fueled by people who do not think, who renounce their capacity to judge. Across all these thinkers, we find the same warning: stupidity is less a lack of intellect than a bankruptcy of the spirit.
Conclusion: An Intelligence for the Good The cross-analysis of these authors shows that intelligence and stupidity are not merely individual attributes, but social, ethical, and cultural phenomena. Human stupidity is resilient, diffuse, and often invisible. It can be cultivated by ignorance, but also by conformity, moral inattention, and uncritical submission.
Therefore, thinking of intelligence as a project is essential. As José Antonio Marina argues, it is urgent to educate for lucidity, empathy, and inner freedom. This is the intelligence that matters: the one that not only knows, but chooses well; not only calculates, but comprehends; not only executes, but judges with responsibility. Facing the advance of misinformation, noise, and organized irrationality, this is a decisive challenge for our time and for each of us.
Paulo Fidalgo
CEO of Marketividade
