The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
Italian economic historian Carlo Cipolla proposed five laws of human stupidity. They are fascinating and worth considering.
1. Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
2. The probability that a certain person (will) be stupid is independent of any other characteristics of that person. What that means is that a high IQ or advanced education does not preclude one from being stupid.
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places, and under any circumstances, to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.
Interesting as this is, how does one determine who is stupid? Cipolla has definitions:
Intelligent people benefit themselves and othersBandits benefit themselves but inflict losses on othersStupid people inflict losses on themselves and othersHelpless people inflict losses on themselves but benefit others
An intelligent person might make a product that benefits his customers but also benefits himself through profits.
A burglar benefits himself by inflicting losses on his victims.
A stupid person could run a stoplight and cause an accident that inflicts losses on himself and whomever he hit.
A helpless person might leave belongings behind, inflicting losses on themselves but benefits to those who find them. A philanthropist could be in this category voluntarily.
It is a safe bet that the stupid people have the upper hand in the world today. Gas prices, food shortages, supply line failures, inflation, rising crime rates, border chaos, etc. all indicate that stupid people are calling the shots.
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