3.5
The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity
ByPublisher Description
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • An economist explains five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world
"A masterly book" —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan • "A classic" —Simon Kuper, Financial Times
Throughout history, a powerful force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local bar.
It is human stupidity.
Carlo M. Cipolla, noted professor of economic history at the UC Berkeley, created this vitally important book in order to detect and neutralize its threat. Both hilarious and dead serious, it will leave you better equipped to confront political realities, unreasonable colleagues, or your next dinner with your in-laws.
The Laws:
1. Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals among us.
2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses themselves.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.
"A masterly book" —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan • "A classic" —Simon Kuper, Financial Times
Throughout history, a powerful force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local bar.
It is human stupidity.
Carlo M. Cipolla, noted professor of economic history at the UC Berkeley, created this vitally important book in order to detect and neutralize its threat. Both hilarious and dead serious, it will leave you better equipped to confront political realities, unreasonable colleagues, or your next dinner with your in-laws.
The Laws:
1. Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals among us.
2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses themselves.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Basic Laws of Human Stupidity Reviews
3.5
“five laws explaining how stupid people, defined as those causing losses to others without gain, significantly harm society, with Law 5 stating they are the most dangerous type, even surpassing bandits, as their actions, independent of intelligence or status, impoverish everyone, requiring non-stupid people to offset these losses.
1. Everyone underestimates stupidity: People always underestimate the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
(# of stupid is crazy not matter size of group)
2. Stupidity is independent: The likelihood of someone being stupid is unrelated to any other personal characteristic (education, wealth, etc.). (Everyone can be stupid)
3. Definition of a stupid person: A stupid person causes losses to others while gaining nothing for themselves, possibly even incurring losses.
(Action you do or don't do; we play with graft on who we behave gain/lose. Google the graft if you're listening to the audiobook)
4. Underestimating damage: Non-stupid people consistently underestimate the destructive power of stupid individuals, forgetting that associating with them is always a costly mistake.
(Stupid people in power to harm people. Stupid ppl can harm self and others, can't plan for stupid actions)
5. The most dangerous type: A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person, as their actions reduce society's overall well-being, and non-stupid individuals must work harder to counteract these losses.
A little bit of thumbing your nose at topic but also being real about people sucks and we have to deal with actions caused by stupid people. Kinda feels like old British nature documentary almost, kinda like it and funny 🤣.
Was a short essay. For being wrote in 1970s this still very relevant to today, I think everyone needs to read this.
Almost feels like we can change the word stupid for Karen/Kevin's of our age.”
“I told my coworkers I was reading this to learn more about them.”
About Carlo M. Cipolla
CARLO M. CIPOLLA (1922-2000) was an Italian economic historian, Fulbright Fellow and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Cipolla was awarded the International Balzan Prize for Economic History in 1995 and held honorary degrees in Italy and Switzerland. His classic treatise The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity was first published in 1988 and has been published in more than ten languages. Originally written in English, this is the first time it's being published in the US.
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