Unravel the profound insights of Bonhoeffer's Theory of Stupidity and its uncanny relevance to our contemporary world. Discover how this theory, rooted in historical context, offers a compelling lens to understand and interpret the complexities of human behavior and societal dynamics.
Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than evil
To prevent willful malice, you can always erect barriers to stop its spread
- Against stupidity you are defenseless
- Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved – indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them.”
Stupidity reigns supreme
The average person acts as if they willfully wanted to be misled.
- They fall for lies, cons, and half-truths. The political entrepreneurs, the populists, can come and play them at will. The power of the bullshitters is a direct result of the stupidity of the masses who fall for their BS.
Understanding the Nature of Stupidity
“If we want to know how to get the better of stupidity, we must seek to understand its nature.”
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Stupidity is a group phenomenon.
- When a group acts stupidly, that greatly impacts the individual, compounding the entire effect.
- People overcome with stupidity act as if possessed. Their logical part of the brain is shut down. Such a person starts acting as a political zombie.
Stupidity in our times
Recent upsurges of power have infected certain swathes of the population with great amounts of stupidity
- Stupidity is an ever-present danger, lurking at every corner of the political spectrum
- It is wiser to abandon all attempts at convincing the stupid person
- Ordinary people get constantly confronted with facts that prove their dearly held beliefs are not true, yet, most just ignore them
- The world is full of chaos. There is too much junk passing around masquerading as information
- This makes people confused
