Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident and murdered by them in April 1945 said "Against stupidity we are defenseless", but suppose we are not, what should we do?
The first step in dealing with stupidity is to recognize its prevalence. Cipolla’s first law reminds us that stupidity is everywhere, and we should not be surprised when we encounter it.
By accepting this reality, we can avoid the frustration and disillusionment that often accompany interactions with irrational or harmful individuals. Awareness allows us to approach such situations with a sense of detachment and preparedness.
Cipolla’s fourth law emphasizes that non-stupid people often underestimate the destructive potential of stupid individuals. To counteract this, we must take stupidity seriously.
This means not dismissing irrational behavior as harmless or assuming that it will resolve itself. Instead, we should anticipate the potential for harm and take proactive measures to mitigate it.
One of the most effective ways to deal with stupidity is to minimize interactions with stupid individuals. Cipolla’s third law highlights that stupid people cause harm without gaining anything in return, making them unpredictable and dangerous.
Engaging with them often leads to unnecessary conflict or loss. The problem here is, however, if we can't avoid interaction with such a person, because he holds an important and influential position in society.
When dealing with stupidity, the goal should not be to change the stupid person, this is often futile. but to minimize the damage they can cause. This requires a strategic approach.
For instance, in a team setting, assigning a stupid individual to tasks with limited impact can prevent them from derailing important projects.
While it is impossible to eliminate stupidity entirely, we can counteract its effects by fostering rationality and collaboration in our communities. Encouraging critical thinking, open dialogue, and mutual respect can create an environment where stupidity is less likely to thrive.
By surrounding ourselves with intelligent, rational individuals, we can build a buffer against the damaging influence of stupidity. For instance, attending the lectures of The Philosophy Class might help you :-)
This means that dealing with stupidity requires awareness, strategic thinking, and emotional resilience. By acknowledging its prevalence, avoiding underestimation, limiting engagement,
focusing on damage control, and promoting rationality, we can mitigate its impact and navigate a world where stupidity is an inescapable reality.
Ultimately, the key lies in maintaining our own rationality and refusing to let the actions of stupid individuals undermine our well-being or sense of purpose.
In other words.....Good Luck!
The floor is yours....thank you...
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
The Discussion
[13:18] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:18] Max Chatnoir: Thank you, Herman.
[13:19] Max Chatnoir: I need to get my taxes in while we still have a functional IRS...
[13:19] herman Bergson: As I said, Max, Good Luck ㋡
[13:19] Stranger Nightfire: I think there might be a problem here with defining out terms
[13:19] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): what is an IRS
[13:19] herman Bergson: But as you see, not all is lost....
[13:20] Max Chatnoir: Internal Revenue Service
[13:20] herman Bergson: Belastingfienst
[13:20] Stranger Nightfire: stupidity might be in the mind of the beholder
[13:20] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ah ok dankjewel
[13:20] Stranger Nightfire: some of the most destructive thinking going on in the world right now is coming from highly educated people with high IQs
[13:20] herman Bergson: Such an approach makes stupidity just someone's opinion, Stranger....
[13:21] Max Chatnoir: Well, I need to get my taxes in anyway....
[13:21] herman Bergson: Check the second law, Stranger
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and are filthy rich, like elon
[13:21] herman Bergson: Stupidity is not just an opinion of a beholder...
[13:21] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): you call Mr T a man with a high IQ
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): when u get rich the general rule seems to be u turn into a gredy monster that just wants more and more both money and power
[13:21] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ?
[13:22] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): we see this with Musk clearly
[13:22] herman Bergson: With stupidity we mean...stupid behavior.....actions that have consequences
[13:22] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Trump have no IQ but Mush have
[13:22] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Musk
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and he is an asshole
[13:23] herman Bergson: And a damaging effect of behavior is not simply an observation of the beholder...
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and getting worse and worse, the power of greed
[13:23] herman Bergson: Take for instance the nuclear threat
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): (shudders)
[13:23] herman Bergson: both parties, say US and Russia can press the red button.....
[13:24] herman Bergson: THAT would be 100% stupid behavior....
[13:24] herman Bergson: the reason is simple...
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and the end of the entire planet
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): all life gone
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): 100% stupid indeed
[13:24] herman Bergson: you inflict damage on the other, but the other equally on you
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): what is it called, Musually assured destruction
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): mutually
[13:25] herman Bergson: Stupid behavior is also a favorite in comedy movies.....
[13:25] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): maybe they don't care, they are old man, they had their life
[13:25] herman Bergson: the character does something stupid and falls on his face himself too
[13:26] Max Chatnoir: They're younger than me, and I still want a life.
[13:26] herman Bergson: That Beertje shows the irrationality and unpredictability of stupid behavior
[13:27] herman Bergson: Where the answer of MAx shows the rationality that you need here
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): irrational it is for sure, just pure madness
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and that is very dangerous when it comes to positions as presidents and other world leaders
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): very
[13:28] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): they don't care what happens to the people, they just want to show that they can push the button, everything after that they don't care
[13:28] herman Bergson: That is how World War I began....
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed!
[13:29] herman Bergson: This not caring is the irrationality we have to face, Beertje
[13:29] Lecturehall: 2025-02-18 [23:29] NickyParis Bellecoeur
[13:29] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): greetings
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hi Nikcy
[13:29] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): Thanks Max :)
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:29] herman Bergson: Hi Nicky
[13:30] Max Chatnoir: Hi, icky.
[13:30] Max Chatnoir: Moclu
[13:30] Max Chatnoir: Nicky!
[13:30] Max Chatnoir: Sorry! fingers in the wrong place.
[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:31] herman Bergson: Funny ㋡
[13:31] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): we need to get Trumps and musks fingers out of the jam and cake jars thats for sure
[13:32] herman Bergson: PLease let's not discuss T and V
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): in any case what is happening at the moment is really scary
[13:33] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): Indeed Particle
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): still have hope that things might change, HOPEFULLY
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): as said, people have had enough now
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): there will be a revolt hopefully or something that can change the course
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): idk but something
[13:34] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): It is quite polarized ...
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): not including a full-blown war i hope though
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed Nicky
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well that is ONE exampe of stupidity we see clearly now
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): prime example
[13:35] herman Bergson: Let me give you a funny example of stupidity....
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaaa
[13:35] Max Chatnoir: Please!
[13:35] herman Bergson: There one party is harmed, while the other party harms himself too
[13:36] herman Bergson: In Virginia is a Military base....Formerly calld Fort Bragg... now called Fort Liberty....
[13:37] herman Bergson: But...the secretary of defence has signed a decree which orders to rename Fort Liberty Fort Bragg again.
[13:37] herman Bergson: He was very proud of his deed
[13:37] herman Bergson: Bragg was a Confederate general
[13:37] herman Bergson: But here comes the stupidity....
[13:38] herman Bergson: When you read the decree it shows that Fort Liberty was NOT renamed to Bragg the General....
[13:38] herman Bergson: They had found a KIA named Bragg from WW II
[13:39] herman Bergson: and on the day of signing the decree that person also got a Wiki page...
[13:39] herman Bergson: The State is harmed due to immense costs that comes with the renaming...
[13:39] Will Duett (willchoker): Didn't he also get a high award
[13:40] herman Bergson: and Hegseth is harmed because he shows to be a complete childish idiot
[13:40] herman Bergson: Yes This soldier Bragg got a Purple Heart
[13:40] herman Bergson: This I call stupid behavior
[13:41] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): is it true that the department of education is gone?
[13:41] herman Bergson: I dont know....
[13:41] Stranger Nightfire: not yet
[13:41] herman Bergson: The 300 people that control and manage the nuclear weapons of the US are fired, that I know
[13:42] Opeth Larsson: 300 soldiers ?
[13:42] Opeth Larsson: or other personnel ?
[13:42] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): who is going to take their place?
[13:42] herman Bergson: No, the techicians etc
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed i heard that
[13:42] Stranger Nightfire: I think they already backtracked on the nuclear employees, said it was an oops
[13:42] Max Chatnoir: They are trying to rescind that.
[13:43] herman Bergson: yes Nicky, but they cant find all fired people again...
[13:43] Will Duett (willchoker): They did rescind that
[13:43] Opeth Larsson: thats the thing with cuts without criteria and across the board
[13:43] herman Bergson: Anyway...enough of the US politics...
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hope so, i thought at that moment if armageddon was next , thinking of the ending scene in Terminator 3 where computers automatically fires all nukes and ends the world
[13:44] herman Bergson: Stay away yourself from stupid behavior and the world is already a little bit a better place
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): the computers = Musks AI in this case along with his teenage hackers
[13:44] Stranger Nightfire: should be noted that the people realy in charge now are the techy bros whose slogan has been "move fast and break things"
[13:44] Max Chatnoir: I haven't watched any news today, so I don't have any idea what the current status is.
[13:45] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): not good in the case of nukes for sure
[13:45] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): thats not how it is
[13:45] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): the slogan is "Fail fast"
[13:45] herman Bergson: Thank you all again for your participation...and you can go and watch the news ㋡
[13:45] Nicky (nickyparis.bellecoeur): it is an Agile slogan which is a Project managment moto
[13:45] herman Bergson: Class dismissed....
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