Why stupid people are a greater threat to society

Why STUPID People Are a Greater Threat to Society Than Criminals

PhiloNautica
Mar 6, 2025  #Philosophy #Psychology #DietrichBonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and anti-Nazi resistance fighter, identified stupidity as a greater threat than evil itself. Unlike malice, which can be confronted, stupidity is immune to logic, resistant to reason, and dangerously convinced of its own rightness. Bonhoeffer observed how Nazi Germany transformed intelligent individuals into blind followers, illustrating how stupidity spreads in society when people surrender their independent thought for conformity.

This video explores Bonhoeffer’s insights into stupidity as a socio-psychological phenomenon, showing how it enables authoritarianism, propaganda, and mass manipulation. It also provides practical steps to resist stupidity, such as maintaining critical thinking, avoiding groupthink, recognizing manipulation tactics, and embracing intellectual independence.

In a world filled with misinformation and blind loyalty, Bonhoeffer’s warning remains more relevant than ever. To combat stupidity, we must stay critical, stay aware, and refuse to be ruled by ignorance.



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Source: Letters and Prisons from Prison (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Section: On Stupidity



Chapters
00:00 Hidden enemy
00:45 What led Dietrich Bonhoeffer to say Stupidity is a Greater Threat than Malice
02:16 Stupidity: More Dangerous Than Evil
05:31 Understanding the Nature of Stupidity
07:08 Stupidity as a Socio-Psychological Problem
09:38 How to Not Be Stupid

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The Nature of Human Stupidity

Robert Greene
  Dec 17, 2024
In this clip from my conversation with ;@ChrisWillx; we discuss the rise of human stupidity.

Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, The Laws of Human Nature, and most recently, The Daily Laws.