Variothoughts series. Book of fools. What is stupidity? How to find out stupidity? How to avoid stupidity? What is bad about stupidity? What good I know everything about stupidity, I am the most stupid and ignorant person on Earth. Socrates was hypocritical and cunning, but I sincerely say - I'm stupid. Stupidity is helpful. I love stupidity. Ivan the Fool is my hero. Stupidity kills fear.***The main feature of the books "Variothoughts" is their unprecedented honesty and versatility. No censorship of thoughts, absolute freedom of ideas and words. Variothoughts is a guide to the labyrinths of thought. Concentrate of information. Time is money. Secret knowledge, forbidden and lost wisdom. Thoughts that will forever change your understanding of life. Knowledge is power.***Variothoughts is a book for those who save their time. Ready-made Lego cubes used to put together any ideas and goals. The DNA and RNA of thought. Variothoughts books should be read slowly, chewing every thought carefully. Truth is that which has extension properties, and falsehood is pride, that is, an avid rush.***The reader is offered a thematic set of Syntalism thoughts, aphorisms and metaphors on the topic indicated in the title of the book. The meaning of Variothoughts is the search for 3D truth. The knowledge of truth comes through the denial of lies, which are infinite, so the act of faith associated with the knowledge of truth is an infinite source of joy and strength. Great thing the truth? Great thing a lie?
"A masterly book" —Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan "A classic" —Simon Kuper, Financial Times An economist explains five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world Throughout history, a powerful 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 bar. It is human stupidity. Carlo M. Cipolla, noted professor of economic history at the UC Berkeley, created this vitally important book in order to detect and neutralize its threat. Both hilarious and dead serious, it will leave you better equipped to confront political realities, unreasonable colleagues, or your next dinner with your in-laws. The Laws: 1. Everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals among us. 2. The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person. 3. A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person while deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses themselves. 4. Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. 5. A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.
The Stupid family thinks they are dead when the lights go out. "Excellent pacing, concise, witty prose, and artwork perfectly suited to the text." -- School Library Journal, starred review
This is the first book devoted to the cultural history in the pre-modern period of people we now describe as having learning disabilities. Using an interdisciplinary approach, including historical semantics, medicine, natural philosophy and law, it considers a neglected field of social and medical history and makes an original contribution to the problem of a shifting concept such as 'idiocy'. Medieval physicians, lawyers and the schoolmen of the emerging universities wrote the texts which shaped medieval definitions of intellectual ability and its counterpart, disability. In studying such texts, which form part of our contemporary scientific and cultural heritage, we gain a better understanding of which people were considered to be intellectually disabled and how their participation and inclusion in society differed from the situation today.
"We need books like this one." --Steven Pinker At last, stupidity explained! And by some of the world's smartest people, among them Daniel Kahneman, Dan Ariely, Alison Gopnik, Howard Gardner, Antonio Damasio, Aaron James, and Ryan Holiday. And so I proclaim, o idiots of every stripe and morons of all kinds, this is your moment of glory: this book speaks only to you. But you will not recognize yourselves... Stupidity is all around us, from the coworker who won't stop hitting "reply all" to the former high school classmate posting conspiracy theories on Facebook. But in order to vanquish it, we must first understand it. In The Psychology of Stupidity, some of the world's leading psychologists and thinkers--including a Nobel Prize winner and bestselling authors--will show you... why smart people sometimes believe in utter nonsense; how our lazy brains cause us to make the wrong decisions; why trying to debate fools is a trap; how media manipulation and Internet overstimulation make us dumber; why the stupidest people don't think they're stupid. The wisdom and wit of these experts are a balm for our aggrieved souls and a beacon of hope in a world of morons.
There is a lot of stupid research out there. And many stupid questions remain. This book surveys, then builds upon the work of Cipolla, Dunning, Kruger, Peter, Murphy, and other luminous minds to explore the fascinating behaviors of Stupidity, Idiocy and Foolishness...and in doing so discovers the dangerous Villains who would make fools of us all, and a tenuous hope for our own Heroism. Would such heroism be brave ... or stupid? The easy and fun way in which this book simplifies mathematically challenging concepts lets you explore the latest advances of qualitative reasoning and computer science to see those seeds of common sense currently being planted in artificial intelligence, and glimpse an end to stupidity. Don't merely marvel at morons: easy-to-use detection systems are included in these pages to accurately measure the stupidity surrounding yourself at home and work - and prepare you to not only predict this dangerous phenomenon, but prevent it as well! CONTENTS: Introduction: the Village Idiot Mathematically Defining, Scientifically Observing and Methodologically Analyzing Idiocy, Stupidity and Foolishness Definitions and Observational Methodology Axiomatic Definition of Stupidity FIGURE 1: HUMAN STUPIDITY Axiomatic Definition of Idiocy FIGURE 2: HUMAN IDIOCY FIGURE 3: MORONIC FOOLISHNESS Axiomatic Definition of a Moron or Fool Making Fools out of Intelligent People Quantifying Measurements of Stupidity, Idiocy and Foolishness Quantifying Stupidity, Idiocy and Foolishness Relative Measurements and Objectivity Why Objectivity is a Cause for Intelligence, Implications Measurement of Ignorance is Always Subjective Systemic Measurements Stupid Assumptions Idiotic and Foolish Assumptions Foolproofing: the Game of Idiots Applications of Game Theory Logical Fallacy of the Premise of Free Choice Foolishness is Sometimes Unavoidable and Maliciously Inflicted Methods of Inducing Stupidity Intelligence is Also Sometimes Unavoidable and May Be Bestowed The Game of Idiots: Foolproofing Fallacy that "A Fool and His Money are Soon Parted" Fools are Not Nor Do They Become Resource-Poor Relevance of Overplacement and Overestimation Bias to the Cause and Nature of Stupidity Bias of Overplacement and Overestimation: the Dunning-Kruger Effect Bias is Inevitable Due to the Way Competence is Obtained A Measure of Competence: toward Quantitative Reasoning and Common Sense through Metacognition Murphy's Law and the Persistence of Fools The Peter Principle and the Logic of Despair Qualitative Reasoning as a Consequence of Metacognition Magnitude of the Dunning-Kruger effect is variable Fallacy of Quantitative Reasoning Qualitative Reasoning, or "Common Sense" Hanlon's Razor Quality Control Glimpses of Evil Villainy FIGURE 4: INCREASING COSTS OF VILLAINY OVER TIME Axiomatic Definition of Villainy The Intelligent Villain Functional Sickness Why "Do No Harm?" Progression and Regression of Villainy Losing and Gaining Trust Preventing Attacks of Villains and Bandits Disguised as Fools Weaponized Incompetence Sabotage Hate Crimes versus Terrorism: True Villainy Heroes: Brave, or Stupid? Conclusion - The Fool's Journey: Ending Human Stupidity Designing Defensive Systems Against Stupidity and Villainy A New Management System Profound Knowledge The Limit of Foolishness Suggested Further Reading and Bibliography
Presents a further selection of essays, ranging from the politically correct, to the perfectly obscure: from The Prospects of Democracy to Men Versus Insects.
"... The book demolishes a number of historiographic myths and stereotypes surrounding intellectual disability in the Middle Ages and suggests new insights with regard to 'fools', jesters and 'idiots'.
