Stupidity is causing harm to others without benefiting oneself.

Quote of the Week 10

“Stupidity is causing harm to others without benefiting oneself, even potentially incurring losses in the process.”

― Carlo M. Cipolla  (3rd Law of Human Stupidity)

Triggered by a reference to the law by Prof. Gunter Dueck in a recent interview (@22:27 mins):

“Dummheit ist die Attitüde, anderen zu schaden, ohne sich selbst zu nutzen.”

This is the essence of stupidity: actions that are not merely self-destructive but harm others irrationally.

The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity is an essay by Italian economist Carlo M. Cipolla, originally published in 1976. It humorously yet incisively outlines five "laws" that describe human stupidity and its impact on society. 

Here's a summary (created by X/Grok3):

1. Law 1: Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
   Stupidity is more widespread than people assume, and it catches us off guard because we tend to overestimate rational behavior.
2. Law 2: The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
   Stupidity doesn’t discriminate—it’s not tied to education, status, wealth, or intelligence in other areas. It’s an equal-opportunity trait.
3. 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.
   This is the core definition: stupidity is self-defeating and harmful to others without any personal benefit (unlike, say, a bandit who gains at others’ expense). Cipolla contrasts stupid people with intelligent people (who benefit both themselves and others), helpless people (who harm themselves while benefiting others), and bandits (who benefit themselves by harming others).
4. Law 4: Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals.
   Rational people struggle to anticipate or defend against stupidity because it’s illogical and unpredictable, making it surprisingly destructive.
5. Law 5: A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.
   Because of their unpredictability, lack of self-interest, and potential for widespread harm, stupid individuals pose a greater threat than even malicious ones.

Cipolla uses these laws to argue that stupidity is a universal human flaw that shapes history and society more than we’d like to admit. He presents it with a satirical tone but grounds it in a logical framework, often visualized as a quadrant graph plotting benefit and harm to self and others. It’s a witty take on why things go wrong despite our best efforts!

Cippola Matrix  (Source: Wikipedia)