How to Resist Stupidity

Leadership is the Antithesis of Stupidity

Stupidity is found all over… in governments, parliament in particular; boardrooms are not exempt, neither are newsrooms; schools and universities might seem less likely, but are not; in retail store queues, homes, churches—actually, wherever humans spend time together.

But what is this thing called STUPIDITY?

Stupidity vs. Stupid

Allow me to front-up. I am stupid on occasion; no doubt about it.

However, Influential Leadership helps me to resist stupidity…

These two terms are not the same.

The difference between the two lies in their scope and context:

Stupidity refers to a state of being. It describes a consistent lack of sound and rational judgement. It is not linked to a person’s intelligence, education, social standing, culture, gender or race. It is often influenced by group dynamics, sometimes by external factors and frequently by lack of training.
Stupid describes specific actions, thoughts, or behaviours that lack sense or reason. For instance, someone might act ‘stupidly’ in a particular moment, but that does not mean they are perpetually stupid.

So, while stupidity often relates to a larger or systemic condition, stupid usually describes a particular instance of behaviour.

Leadership Note 15/25 is the first of a two-part series on the Theory of Stupidity as defined by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the chap quoted in the above infographic.

The Sprouts video, Bonhoeffer‘s Theory of Stupidity, does a fine job of setting out his thesis in a six minute clip. (Click the video title to access the video on YouTube.)

Discover Bonhoeffer here in a brief bio (by Britannica).

What do you think of Bonhoeffer’s thesis?
How do you deal with stupidity?

Next week, in Leadership Note 16/25, we’ll discuss the role of Influential Leadership’s Social Agency in helping us to resist stupidity in ourselves and others.

Until then, follow the advice of Mark Twain.