As part of my academic paper How Could I Have Been So Stupid?, I argue that, throughout history, human stupidity has always been a relevant issue, with enormous political consequences (A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0, 2 October). Much of what we believe to be “rational” is shaped by delusion: we cling to simplified explanations, even when evidence proves them false.
Human beings have always lived with a psychological structural stupidity, a kind of symbolic impoverishment contained within our intelligent capacities, a tendency to mythologise events, distort memory and behave as if half aware of our own misperceptions. We idealise leaders, invent grandiose theories and develop conspiracy stories hoping that they will all fulfil our deepest yearnings; they feel real enough to shape collective behaviour, whether in politics, religion or social movements.
