NationStates Jolt Archive

Inspired by my post (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13588223&postcount=35) regarding Harding and his ineptness in the Harding thread, I thought I'd pose that all important question here.

So, which ailment has caused most of the world's problems? Stupidity, or Evil?

To support my argument, I have decided to include some quotes discussing the pervasiveness of stupidity and its ability to accomplish the worst of things.

Elbert Hubbard said, "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped."

Albert Einstein deals with the power of stupidity: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe."

Grey's Law states that "Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice."

German General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord in Truppenführung, 1933: "I divide my officers into four classes; the clever, the lazy, the industrious, and the stupid. Each officer possesses at least two of these qualities. Those who are clever and industrious are fitted for the highest staff appointments. Use can be made of those who are stupid and lazy. The man who is clever and lazy however is for the very highest command; he has the temperament and nerves to deal with all situations. But whoever is stupid and industrious is a menace and must be removed immediately!"

Of course, for appearances sake, I will include this to appear a wee bit less biased against stupidity, though I still blame it for pretty much everything.

Heinlein's Razor (a variant and possible origin of Hanlon) states "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don't rule out malice."

Also, POLL! Please vote!

It's a symbiotic relationship. The Evil exploit the Stupid and they both cause damage together.

I'd say stupidity. Most screw ups in human history is not due to thought out evil, but people just not thinking.

What's your definition of stupidity?
Is it a lack of intelligence? if so how do you calculate intelligence?
That's a very general term, which could come under evil or vice versa.

Stupidity = Ignorance + Apathy.

Or, "I don't know and I don't care."

People who are ignorant and proud of it, especially in groups, can cause a lot of mayhem.

Without the Evil to organize them, the Stupid are more of an obstacle than a menace.

I believe a mixture of both evil and stupidity are the cause a countless damage in the world. Although stupidity brings it´s share of problems, evil is, usually the motivator. Although stupidity and ignorance could be correlated with evil too. But I do think Veblenia put it marvelously.

Evil may be the cause of much suffering, but the destructive power of stupidity is much larger.

Stupidity.

Evil is predictable to a point. Stupidity is not.

I don't think a thread with such a predictable outcome should exist. It's much like spam, only more boring.

Umm, stupidity does a whole lot more damage than evil ever could. Often the cause of evil is stupidity, and if you consider how much power is given to stupid people on a regular basis (as opposed to fundamentally evil people) it's really a no brainer. ha ha.

Stupidity, because I don’t believe ‘evil’, as defined by most folks, exists.

The belief that one is not as stupid as one actually is - I think that is the most harmful thing and it applies to all of us.

People sneer at the stupidity of others when the fact is that we're all culpable on a daily basis of, under wide definition, stupidity, this is one of the worst traits in humans.

Stupidity, because I don’t believe ‘evil’, as defined by most folks, exists.

Well, I'd agree that "evil", for the purposes of this thread, was a poor word choice. Greed, and to a lesser extent narcissism, I would argue have motivated most of the miseries inflicted on history. I don't think "evil" really describes those behaviours but neither does "stupidity" either.

My point above, and I stand by it, is that stupid people don't really initiate, they follow. In the hands of "evil" (read: greedy or narcissistic) people they can be exploited and mobilized to do horrible things, but lacking leadership they act more as societal inertia, plodding along with the status quo.