In 1988, historian and economist Carlo Cipolla wrote the book "Allegro ma non troppo" (Joyful, but not too much), in which he describes two essays with a fine sense of humor. The second is called "The Fundamental Laws of Human Stupidity." In this essay, he describes how human beings interact according to four patterns of behavior. He takes two parameters into account: whether his behavior benefits or harms him, and whether his behavior benefits or harms others. I've taken the liberty of adding some concepts that reinforce this view. Let's see how he classifies them.
The intelligent one
The intelligent person is a realist who uses the win-win formula because he or she knows it's the best way to do it. Through interactions with other people, he or she grows his or her social capital, which he or she can monetize and convert into economic capital. He or she knows that his or her reputation is a great asset that should be cultivated. Being a realist, he or she is immune to ideologies based on conceptual models without any empirical verification. He or she relies on data, evidence, and results when making a decision.
The stupid one
The stupid game is based on the lose-lose formula; their actions cause harm both to themselves and those around them. They may be friendly, cheerful, or grumpy, but they never fail to make terrible decisions. Carlo Cipolla defines stupid behavior with an exquisite sense of humor and provides some rules for dealing with them.
The fundamental laws of human stupidity
- Always and inevitably each of us underestimates the number of stupid individuals circulating in the world.
- The probability that a given person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
- A stupid person is a person who causes harm to another person or group of people without, at the same time, obtaining any benefit for himself, or even obtaining harm.
- Non-stupid people always underestimate the harmful potential of stupid people.
- The stupid person is the most dangerous type of person there is.
Corollary: The stupid are more dangerous than the evil.
The evil one
The dark triangle, also known as the dark triad, is a concept in psychology that describes three personality traits linked to manipulative and selfish behaviors. These are:
1. Narcissism: Characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, constant need for admiration and lack of empathy towards others.
2. Machiavellianism: It involves a manipulative attitude, strategic deception and a cynical view of relationships, where the person prioritizes their own interests regardless of the means.
3. Psychopathy: It is characterized by impulsiveness, lack of remorse or guilt, superficial emotions and antisocial behaviors.
The evil one is the one who deceives and manipulates without remorse. Their game is based on the win-lose dynamic, that is, abuse. We can find politicians, criminals, some religious leaders, some businessmen, con artists—in general, anyone who follows the win-lose dynamic. They can be seductive, educated, and sophisticated, or arrogant and aggressive, but what drives them is winning at someone else's expense..
The unwary
Their game is win-lose, due to their innocence or perception of reality altered by ideologies based on idealistic conceptual models. They are the ultimate clients of evildoers. Politicians manipulate them or buy them with handouts, religious leaders sell them paradise in exchange for tithes, and dishonest companies deceive them with marketing based on lies. The current education system has strong roots in the 19th-century Prussian education system. This model, implemented in Prussia, pioneered free and compulsory public education, albeit with a focus on training obedient and literate citizens for the needs of the state, including military training. The goal is to train obedient employees, teachers, and army officers, but not people with critical thinking skills, debate, and negotiation. The education system is a breeding ground for unwary people, well-educated and trained, but adapted like cogs in the system.
Matrix of stupidity
Carlo Cipolla explains the dynamics of these four actors within a matrix where we can see on a coordinate plane the possible locations of each individual.
The dotted line defines the balance between stupidity and intelligence. For the bad guy, it's the point where what he invests equals what he loses, and for the unwary, where the loss equals the bad guy's gain. The stupid bad guy is the one who earns less than what he invests. The politician who steals the budget, but leaves clues for others to discover. The brand that uses deceitful marketing, but the deception is obvious to everyone and customers turn away. The intelligent bad guy is the one who makes millions by investing very little. The intelligent unwary person is the one who is deceived, but makes the bad guy's gain less than his effort.
The real rebellion
True rebellion isn't the cultural battles of left versus right, vegan versus omnivorous, Christian versus Muslim, globalist versus nationalist, etc. True rebellion is being realistic, perceiving the environment with a skeptical-constructive attitude, and from there seeking solutions and making decisions. The result of this is innovation, whether incremental, disruptive, or radical. Innovation with a win-win intention.
Corollary: Don't forget the 5 laws of stupidity.
Realism in context
In today's world, where post-truth, ideologies, pseudosciences, and the advancement of artificial intelligence are essential, being realistic is a prerequisite for surviving in an environment divided by extremism and fantastic beliefs.
Mario Bunge mentions the five characteristics of pseudo-knowledge:
- Idealistic
- Subjectivist.
- Irrationalist.
- Commercialist
- Individualist or collectivist.
The five characteristics of knowledge.
- Materialistic.
- Realistic
- Scientist.
- Humanist.
- Systematic.
I explain this in my post on this same blog:: A Manual for Detecting Smoke Sellers.This won't please followers of German idealism and the conceptual models that stem from it. In academia, idealistic castles in the air can be built, but in the real world, where a single decision can bankrupt a company, destroy a country, start a war, or condemn young people to a life they don't want, it's best to be blunt and break with idealism. Idealistic intellectuals navigate the sea of the unwary and are often used by evildoers as useful idiots to authorize actions that are totally destructive to society.
In this seemingly chaotic world, we realists will show the light at the end of the tunnel, and with innovation as a proposed solution, we will be vectors of change with a win-win approach.
Corollary: Don't forget the 5 laws of stupidity.
References
- Cipolla, C. M. (1988). Allegro ma non troppo. Bologna: Il Mulino.
- “A La Caza de La Realidad : Bunge, Mario: Amazon.com.mx: Libros.” Amazon.com.mx, 2024, www.amazon.com.mx/caza-realidad-Mario-Bunge/dp/8497841239. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
- ULPdigital (2019). MARIO BUNGE - Trasfondos Filósoficos de las Ciencias y Pseudociencias. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzQ1fbsEehU [Accessed 18 Sep. 2024].
