This short book is a funny, clever, and simple description of the phenomenon of stupidity.
But it is not elitist or racist or sexist. Cipolla insists that no society, no matter how prosperous it is, has managed to escape the natural law that ensures the existence of stupid people. In fact, he goes a step further, and he insists that the proportion of stupidity is constant across occupations too. Even the most powerful in society can be stupid.
But this observation is tempered with the admission that there is a variation in the percentage of stupid people are allowed to be active within different societies (more prevalent in declining countries).
Chapter 1: The First Basic Law — Summary
Chapter 2: The Second Basic Law — Summary
Chapter 3: A Technical Interlude — Summary
Chapter 4: The Third (And Golden) Basic Law — Summary
Chapter 5: Frequency Distribution — Summary
Chapter 6: Stupidity and Power — Summary
Chapter 7: The Power of Stupidity — Summary
Chapter 8: The Fourth Basic Law — Summary
Chapter 9: Macro Analysis and the Fifth Basic Law — Summary
Originally published at https://unearnedwisdom.com.
