The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

by Carlo M. Cipolla

Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.*

The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.

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.

“against stupidity the very Gods fight in vain.”

Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people infallibly turns out to be a costly mistake.

A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.