The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

Carlo M. Cipolla

Apr 2021 · Sold by Doubleday

About this ebook

"A masterly book" —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan
"A classic" —Simon Kuper, Financial Times

An economist explains five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world

Throughout history, a powerful force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local bar.

It is human stupidity.

Carlo M. Cipolla, noted professor of economic history at the UC Berkeley, created this vitally important book in order to detect and neutralize its threat. 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.

The Laws:

1. Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals among us.
2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses themselves.
4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals.
5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.

Ratings and reviews

fascinating read. would have appreciated understanding the specific criteria the author used to determine stupidity among reviewed individuals in his research, but it remains a strong theory. short book with consequential ideas, that neither disparages others or builds a specific group up. stupidity is not used as an insult, but a descriptor of a particular mode of being: one that incurs losses to others with no gains for themselves.

Good read, pretty detailed on the topic of stupid people. Takes a little bit of time to figure out the graphs and the technical word usage, but overall a nice book to read and to think about.

I enjoyed reading it, but its quite repetitive.

About the author

CARLO M. CIPOLLA (1922-2000) was an Italian economic historian, Fulbright Fellow and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Cipolla was awarded the International Balzan Prize for Economic History in 1995 and held honorary degrees in Italy and Switzerland. His classic treatise The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity was first published in 1988 and has been published in more than ten languages. Originally written in English, this is the first time it's being published in the US.