Cipolla 5 Laws of Stupidity
Carlo M. Cipolla, an Italian economic historian, is best known in popular culture for something that's quite distant from economic graphs and theorems: his Five Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.
These laws break down the essence of human interactions and how people can have impacts – positive or negative – on themselves and others.
The ideas are both humorous and, when looked at more closely, become alarming.
1. Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation
Surprisingly, no matter how many times we're faced with the consequences of human folly, we consistently underestimate its prevalence.
Whether at work, in traffic, or during a casual conversation, we often come across acts of stupidity, and yet, we remain hopeful that such instances are the exception rather than the rule.
2. The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person
Stupidity is a universal trait. It doesn’t discriminate based on age, race, religion, or social status.
A doctor can make as silly a decision as a teenager; a millionaire can be just as thoughtless as someone living paycheck to paycheck.
It’s a great equalizer!
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses
Here, Cipolla hits the nail on the head.
Unlike someone who harms another for personal gain, a stupid person does damage without any beneficial outcome.
It’s a lose-lose scenario.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals
This is probably because non-stupid people generally think logically, considering their own gains and losses.
Hence, it's challenging for them to understand actions that lead to mutual harm with no benefit.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person
Finally, Cipolla suggests that villains or 'bandits' – those who harm others for their gain – can be predictable in their actions. Society can take precautions.
But stupid individuals, who move unpredictably, causing damage without rhyme or reason, are far more treacherous.
Their actions are erratic, and their damage can be vast and unforeseen.