cipolla the basic laws of human stupidity

X and Y are just too, well, 'plaine.In 1976, Professor Cipolla published a 60-page essay describing the fundamental laws of a force he perceived as the greatest existential threat to humanity: stupidity. I'm going to wager somewhere on the Z plane.

It would be nice to learn where on the X-Y axis an elitist would lie. The only part I agree with is that in every strata (class or caste) there is a percentage of stupid people and by similar observations, a percentage of snubs. In that case, it would behoove me to agree with him if I want to seem intelligent.

time and money) from listening to his somewhat humorous explanations, then that makes me a 'helpless' person but only if, from my perspective, I feel swindled by the author, whom by his own reasoning, is himself a 'bandit.' However, were I to look at it from his point-of-view, if he wrote this book with the intention of enlightening his reader as to provide a gain, and I were to grasp the knowledge he so professes, then, by use of the principles of snubbishness, we can conclude that he and the reader are both intelligent persons in this delusion of having both gained something. So, if I understand this book and its nuances correctly, if I gained nothing and lost something (ie. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains the gain and loss graphs from the book.

A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.

Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals.

A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses themselves.

The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals among us.

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. Cipolla, noted professor of economic history at the UC Berkeley, created this vitally important book in order to detect and neutralize its threat. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local bar.Ĭarlo M. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. Throughout history, a powerful force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. 'A classic.' (Simon Kuper, Financial Times )Īn economist explores the 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 )

Cipolla the basic laws of human stupidity