The Nature of Stupidity: A Failure of Moral Courage
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and anti-Nazi dissident, famously argued that stupidity is not a lack of intelligence but a failure of moral courage. He contended that stupidity is not an inherent trait but a condition people fall into, often as a result of social and psychological pressures. This distinction is crucial because it shifts the blame from an individual’s cognitive ability to their willingness—or unwillingness—to engage with reality in an honest and critical manner. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in environments where independent thought is discouraged, and conformity is enforced through social ostracization and emotional manipulation. Philosophers such as David Hume and John Locke provide further insight into this phenomenon, exploring the ways in which emotion, conformity, and authoritarian structures contribute to the suppression of rational thought. The Social Breeding Ground for Stupidity Bonhoeffer’s perspective suggests that stu...