What Makes Stupid People Stupid
Applying the five basic rules of human stupidity.
Human stupidity is a controversial and sensible theme. Addressing it is not an easy task, but the Italian economist Carlo Cipolla did it brilliantly. His hallmark was the ability to deal with complex topics lightheartedly and with a bit of irony. Not surprisingly, The 5 Basic Laws of Human Stupidity represents a milestone on this topic.
While defining the five basic laws that earned him unbelievable success, he also tried to explain the irrational behavior of stupid people. By applying these rules, he was able to identify four categories of human behavior. This way, he not only figured out what makes stupid people stupid, but also why they are a hindrance to intelligent people.
Let’s see dive into this theory and understand how human behavior leads to stupidity.
The 4 Basic Categories of Human Behavior
Carlo Cipolla explained the importance of human behavior in identifying stupid people with the third basic law:
A stupid person is one who causes losses to another person or a group of people while they gain nothing or may even suffer losses.
As it is clear from this statement, Cipolla believed that people can be classified by the way they behave. Specifically, he was convinced that there were only two key aspects to consider when exploring human behavior:
- Benefits and losses caused to themselves
- Benefits and losses caused to others
By defining a graph with the first aspect on the x-axis and the second on the y-axis, you get the following result:
This way, Carlo was able to identify four groups of people based on their behavior: intelligent people, helpless people, stupid people, and bandits.
Let’s see what Cipolla thought about each category.
Intelligent People
According to Carlo Cipolla, intelligent people work for their own good and the good of others. Their distinguishing trait is that they typically know they are intelligent. This is also why they aspire to occupy prominent places in society.
Unfortunately, their plans are thwarted by the unpredictable and destructive behavior of the vast majority of other individuals, who instead seem determined to take everyone down with them. Thus, they are supposed to make the greatest contribution to society as a whole, but only from a theoretical point of view.
Moreover, Cipolla emphasized that determining whether someone is intelligent is by no means simple. In this sense, the opinion of others can be misleading. In fact, people you consider rational and intelligent may suddenly turn out to be stupid without a shadow of a doubt.
Helpless People
These are all those people who do good for others while losing or gaining nothing for themselves. They usually have a strong suspicion that not everything is going their way. This is also why they prefer to play socially useful roles.
They contribute to society but are also exploited by it, especially by bandits and criminals. However, these altruist and pacifist people may willingly and consciously accept a place in this category for moral or ethical reasons.
According to Cipolla, when the benefits they bring to the world are greater than what is taken from them by others, the entire society benefits from their existence. At the same time, they might be exploited by criminals and outlaws because of their naïveté.
Stupid People
They are by far the most dangerous category of people, more than criminals and bandits. No one benefits from their behavior, neither themselves nor anyone else. Stupid people have no rationality in their actions, which makes them unpredictable and therefore dangerous. Plus, according to Cipolla the percentage of people behaving irrationally is a constant in any group, regardless of education or environment. And even worse, stupid people do not know they are stupid.
Carlo Cipolla also stated that “the problem with stupid people is when they take up positions of power. And they occupy all positions in society, from top to bottom.”. This is why a stupid person with power is the most threatening.
So, Cipolla believed that by limiting their power in society, their destructive power might be contained. However, he was convinced that this is almost impossible to achieve. First, because those who are stupid use elections to keep the percentage of stupid people in power high. Second, because no intelligent people can understand and thus easily stop stupid individuals. After all, how could a reasonable human being comprehend unreasonable behavior?
Bandits
They harm others for personal gain. Even though they are criminals, they may contribute to an improvement in society. This happens when they cause more benefit than harm overall. Cipolla also clarified that they are almost always aware of their behavior, knowing they are outlaws.
Some may have a hard time distinguishing them from stupid, but that would be a huge mistake. This is why Cipolla was keen to point out that there are many differences between these two categories of human behavior.
In this regard, Cipolla wrote that “the bandit’s actions follow a pattern of rationality: nasty rationality, if you like, but still rationality”. So, unlike stupid people, bandits fall within the spectrum of rationality, and this is what makes them inherently different. This also implies that intelligent individuals can understand them. Consequently, bandits and criminals are less dangerous than stupid people.
Conclusion
The Italian economist Carlo Cipolla devised a groundbreaking theory on human stupidity by merely using common sense and a bit of irony. As we have just seen, while presenting his ideas to the world, he also explained human behavior plainly and incisively. By defining a simple graph, he was able to identify four categories of human behavior, allowing us to understand what makes stupid people stupid and why they are the most dangerous individuals in our society. Although this theory was born a joke and should not be taken too seriously, it is something to keep in mind when trying to avoid human stupidity.
