Revisiting the definition of stupidity
Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 07:59AM Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. Robert J. Hanlon
Law 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. from The five universal rules of human stupidity by Corrine Purtill.
On a group hike yesterday morning, one participant who was a stranger to me shouted out, "I hope you all vote for Trump next week!" I suggested we not talk politics on this outing. "You must be rich," he replied, and quickly picked up his pace to get some yards ahead of me and my probable response.
My first inclination, I'll admit, was to fire back, "And you must be stupid." I kept the comment to myself. But I did brood on why that response came to mind instead of "What makes you think I am rich?" or "Why should I vote for Trump?"
I am not sure why, but stupidity sort of fascinates me. What is stupidity and why do people act in stupid ways - including me?
Cipolla Matrix
I'm not convinced one has to pose a hazard to others to commit an act that could be called stupid. Not wearing a seat belt, bungee jumping with a badly frayed cord, posting job-endangering photos to the Internet, or drinking from the toilet are all stupid acts as far as I am concerned, but none of them necessarily harm anyone other than the person themselves.
But an element of harm seems to be at the heart of most stupid acts. So if stupid acts are harmful, why do we still commit them? Why do all of us, even those who may behave intelligently and reasonably most of the time, do really stupid things now and again. And I very much include myself.
Is stupidity a quality that can only be discerned by others or not realized by oneself until after the stupid act has been committed, and is therefore unpreventable?
I've long worried that we confuse ignorance and stupidity. (See Seven stupid mistake teachers make with technology.) So any definition and explanation of stupidity is a welcome read. I personally define stupidity as having knowledge but not using it. Yes, I know the bungee cord is frayed and may break, but I'm going to do the jump anyway, sort of scenario.
Most of the stupid acts I commit are a result of over-confidence. My high opinion of myself applies to fixing things like plumbing, electrical outlets, and furniture, despite knowing from past experiences that my repairing often costs more in time and money than had I hired an expert in the first place. This tops my list of stupid acts. (See The quick fix: a tale of woe) Not admitting to ignorance or ignoring factual knowledge are the reasons stupid acts are made.
Anytime one defies the odds, they are acting stupidly. Any time one refuses to admit their ignorance or acts despite reliable information, they acting stupidly. Anyone one acts emotionally against their own best interests, is acting stupidly.
To be very clear, I would not label any individual as stupid (at least out loud). But I am happy to call out actions, even beliefs, that seem stupid to me.
It's OK to be ignorant. Ignorance, happily, is a correctable condition. But let's all try to do stupid things as seldom as possible. Including making snappy, thoughtless responses to others' stupid actions.
Why do you think people do stupid things?
Reader Comments (4)
It's a good thing I don't have a recorder in my car - seems there are always stupid people driving.
I also regularly tell students there are no stupid questions...but there are annoying questions, lazy questions, "i wasn't paying attention" questions, etc.
I like your "other" types of questions. Not hear that one before!
Doug
Almost thought I was reading a Paul Harvey entry. But like you I try to refrain from calling others out, but I do mention LOI (Loss of Intelligence) in some of my older blog posts of a different subject.
Actually instead of Paul Harvey speaking of stupidity, I recall this particular airing:
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrC_C0YkaBf1XEA4TAPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1604387224/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3d0uJXh-mTljE/RK=2/RS=lpTYMAYQmgTNwOAMUiZMarzqm.M-
Question: what divides stupidity and foolishness?
Thanks, Cory, for the comment. I used to listen to and enjoy Paul Harvey many years ago. I worked on a construction team who turned into him regularly at lunch time.
I do think there is a difference between calling individuals out for "stupid" behavior and generalizing about group idiocy. If individuals identify with the group, so be it. Not sure the difference between stupidity and foolishness. (The link did not work for me.) Foolishness seems somehow less harmful.
Hope you are surviving the pandemic, election, etc!
And now for the rest of the story...
Doug