num_pages: 96
description: A masterly book --Nassim Nicholas Taleb author of The Black SwanA classic --Simon Kuper Financial Times In the spirit of On Bullshit and Assholes: A Theory an economist explores the five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the worldSince time immemorial a powerful dark force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It is more powerful than the Mafia or the military. It has global catastrophic effects and can be found anywhere from the world's most powerful boardrooms to your local pub. This is the immensely powerful force of human stupidity.Seeing the shambolic state of human affairs and sensing the dark force at work behind it Carlo M. Cipolla the late noted professor of economic history at the University of California Berkeley created a vitally important economic model that would allow us to detect know and neutralize this threat: The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.If you've ever found yourself despairing at the ubiquity of stupidity among even the most 'intellectual' of people then this hilarious timely and slightly alarming little book is for you. Arm yourself in the face of baffling political realities unreasonable colleagues or the unbridled misery of Christmas day with the in-laws with the first and only economic model for stupidity.Cipolla's subtle tongue-in-cheek humor made this book an underground classic in Italy. Today under current worldwide political trends it reads more like black humor. Keep in mind: reliable statistical data shows that 98% of the people seriously believe that they are far less stupid than the average. --Carlo Rovelli author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
language: English
title: The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity
publisher: Doubleday