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Rating: Don't worry. This is not the ramblings of an intellectual snob who believes he is the only intelligent person in a world of fools. No, this is the book of a truly intelligent man, so intelligent that he has realized how stupid he has been: “Realizing how stupid I was in the past, I've understood that I'm not that stupid after all.”
Giancarlo Livraghi, in defining stupidity, uses the definition by Carlo Cipolla, who, in the 70s, wrote a famous (and today unavailable) essay on the subject:
- “The stupid person is the one who causes harm to others without benefiting themselves”.
It’s a definition that clearly distinguishes the stupid from the benefactor (“one who accepts harm to himself in order to do good to others”), the normal person (“one who does good to himself and, when possible, to others”), and the selfish person (“one who might also harm others just to benefit himself”).
Let's admit it: none of us always behaves intelligently. Why, sometimes, do we act stupidly even though we are usually very rational? There are various reasons:
1. Mental laziness. Thinking is too much effort. Letting oneself go to thoughts is much less tiring. The result will be trusting the first thing that comes to mind. Leading to inevitable disasters.
2. Fear of questioning the opinion of a person considered “learned”, repeating in our speeches what we have read in certain books. Only over time will we realize which foolishness we have supported. Learned people, even if they deserve respect, often say wrong things. Moreover, learned people are like great artists: exceedingly rare. The people we call learned are almost always merely erudite. And “Erudition is not a synonym for wisdom” (Lao-Tze). Culture is nourished by patience and hard work. Erudition feeds on something called superficiality. He who “hears” 20 records a week, doesn’t “listen” to any of them. That's why the most respected (yes, right) American music critic – Robert Christgau – tears his hair out for “Born in the USA” and mocks “Foxtrot”.
3. Little attention to facts. In theory, communism was supposed to equitably distribute wealth and happiness; in reality, it distributed misery and death. If we looked at what communism actually produced, we would stop being nostalgic about it. Facts are worth much more than intentions. But we don't like facts when they go against our theories. But let's not delude ourselves: “against facts, theories are pointless” (Aristotle).
4. Giving in to emotions. How many incredibly intelligent women, one day, turn off their brains and marry the wrong men? We must not live only with our heads and kill our hearts, because if we did we would turn our lives into a barren hell; but we also cannot follow the first impulse we feel. “You gave in to emotions and became stupid” (Kevin Spacey in “21”).
5. Pride and Arrogance. The first makes us believe we can contain the ocean of truth in our little brain, or that we know everything after reading a couple of books; the second prevents us from changing our minds even when we have realized we were wrong. Some of the greatest secular literary masterpieces (like “Moby Dick,” “The Odyssey,” “The Myth of Icarus,” etc.), many books by great mystics, as well as many parts of the Holy Scripture, address this subject. Happy reading.
During the journey, Livraghi reveals to us the terrible truth: we are surrounded by stupidity and stupidity fascinates us. Indeed: when stupidity is combined with self-confidence, it becomes fascinating. So: beware of charismatic fools. They are the greatest manipulators. Captain Ahab teaches us.
To avoid being enchanted by their allure, it is enough to remember an infallible principle. A man should not be judged by his words, his appearance, his quick wit, some of his brilliant aphorisms, or even by the great works he has accomplished. A man should be judged by his daily actions. Intelligent men, usually, are extremely habitual, terribly boring, and go unnoticed.
We do not agree with everything Livraghi says – like his dangerous praise of “letting the mind wander” – but it is good that there are books like this in circulation. As someone recently wrote:
- “We are living in the sleep of reason.”
Books like this can help awaken it. If we are capable of admitting the unmentionable to ourselves.
“Sorry for writing you a long review. I didn't have time to write a short one” (Blaise Pascal).
Some aphorisms about stupidity.
- Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. But about the universe, I'm doubtful. (Albert Einstein)
- Intelligence, even the greatest, has limits. Stupidity does not. (Elbert Hubbard)
- If you want to see one less fool, break the mirror. (Francois Rabelais)
- There is a fool inside me. He has taught me the greatest lessons. (Paul Valery)
- One fool is a fool. Two fools are two fools. Ten thousand fools are a historical force. (Leo Longanesi)
- Fools are ultra-confident. The intelligent are full of doubts. That’s why the world is in this state. (Bertrand Russell)
- When a charismatic fool grabs an idea, he will build his system upon it, and with his charisma will attract many people to that idea. But beware: the idea that the fool has grasped is merely a foolishness. (Ennio Flaiano)
- The wise speak because they have something to say. The fool because he needs to say something. (Plato)
- It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. (Abraham Lincoln)
- There is no foolishness that some philosopher hasn't supported. (Voltaire)
- He who thinks without learning is an intelligent fool. He who learns without thinking is an educated fool. (Confucius)
- The fool believes he is wise. The wise person thinks he is a fool. (William Shakespeare)
- The most foolish people are those who know everything. (Malcolm Forbes)
- The wise seek facts and then build a theory. The fool first builds a theory and then adapts the facts. (Arthur Conan Doyle)
- Stupidity knows how to perfectly wear the attire of truth. Truth, on the other hand, has only one dress and it is a market stall dress that elicits derision. (Robert Musil)
- If you want to turn on the brain, turn off the television (Ocean).
- The number of fools is infinite. (Holy Scripture)
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