Carlo Cipolla left us five laws of stupidity, but he was the smartest man. Bashny.Net

Are we smarter than previous generations? On the one hand, there is evidence that with each decade the average IQ of mankind steadily increases. On the other hand, it is very difficult to explain why instead of fighting diseases and caring for the environment, humanity spends resources on new wars. Perhaps the stupidity of man is in his very nature. In this case, it is crucial to understand its origins in order to know what awaits us all in the future.



In 1976, Professor Carlo Cipolla of the University of California tried to understand the issue. His. 5 universal laws of human stupidity They merge into a coherent system that allows you to draw unexpected conclusions. Everyone knows that it is better to lose with a wise man than to find with a fool. But is a fool more dangerous than a bandit? The answers are in our article.

Law #1: “We always underestimate the number of fools around us.” Sounds like a banality. But Chekhov wrote that “one wise man relies on a thousand fools.” Real life constantly proves the truth of this law. This is especially true in times of global turmoil.



When you can no longer get rid of memorized phrases, you notice that you mistakenly assumed that politicians had common sense. In fact, neither place of work, nor education, nor fame can automatically exclude a person from the ranks of fools. And that brings us to the second law.

Law #2: The probability that a man is stupid is independent of his other qualities. A person is a fool, just as he is a redhead or has a first blood type. He was born this way by Providence, if you will.”



GettyImages' findings from the Second Law are frightening. It turns out that it is wrong to identify a fool with a person who is uneducated or simpletons. Which means that in the British Parliament, among the Aboriginal Polynesians and Nobel laureates, you still have to deal with fools. However, it is impossible to name their number, since, according to the first law, any assumption will be knowingly incorrect.

Law #3: The actions of a fool lead to losses for another person or group of people without benefiting the actor himself. They are often even harmful to themselves.”



Are the neighbors constantly reposting fake news? Did teenagers break a bench in the yard? Grandma voted for a presidential candidate just because he's a handsome man? All of these people create difficulties for others without taking advantage of them.



Law No. 3, on the other hand, does not only shed light on the actions of fools. He also describes three other types of people. So, smart people benefit themselves and other people. Bandits benefit from harming others. In other words, they enrich others at their own expense.

Law #4: “Simple people always underestimate the destructive potential of fools.” Here it is difficult not to recall the words of the Soviet composer Georgy Sviridov: “A giant biological energy ripens in a fool.” He has no conscience or doubt. Especially dangerous, even terrible, is the “cultural”, “educated” fool who relies on knowledge and authority. His pride is immense, his morality is unknown to him. He can do anything, especially the fool’s passion for destruction, for remaking the world.”



GettyImages A common stereotype is that a fool only hurts himself. But to think so is not to understand the nature of stupidity. The problem is that intelligent people are full of doubts, and fools are confident in their genius. And so just one leading fool, obsessed with fictions about world greatness, can at any moment put the whole world on the brink of real catastrophe.

Law No. 5: A fool is the most dangerous type of man. Indeed, the result of the actions of a bandit is only the transfer of goods from one person to another. In other words, if all members of society were perfect bandits in Carlo Cipoll’s sense, the system as a whole would be stable. This can be seen in corrupt countries, where citizens are used to circumventing laws.



In contrast, fools lead society to decline. They do harm without getting any benefit. As a result, society becomes poorer. Thus, fools are more dangerous than bandits. And to smooth out their destructive influence can only a large percentage of smart women who create good for themselves and for others.

The article and the preview used photos.