The Psychology of Stupidity

August 15, 2020
Are people getting dumber, or does it just look that way? That question underlies this collection of essays by and interviews with psychologists, neurologists, philosophers, and other well-credentialed intellectuals. A handful of contributors have ties to North American universities--Dan Ariely, Alison Gopnik, and Daniel Kahneman among them--but most live in France, and their views have a Gallic flavor: blunt, opinionated, and tolerant of terms in disfavor in the U.S., including, as translated from the French by Schillinger, moron, idiot, and imbecile. Marmion, a France-based psychologist, sets the tone by rebutting the idea that we live in a "golden age of idiocy": "As far back as the written record extends, the greatest minds of their ages believed this to be the case." Nonetheless, today's follies differ in two ways from those of the past. One is that the stakes are higher: "The novelty of the contemporary era is that it would take only one idiot with a red button to eradicate all stupidity, and the whole world with it. An idiot elected by sheep who were only too proud to choose their slaughterer." The other is that--owing partly to social media--human follies are more visible, whether they involve UFO sightings or "some jerk pressing the elevator button like a maniac when it's already been pressed." Social psychologist Ewa Drozda-Senkowska distinguishes between ignorance and stupidity, noting that "stupidity, true stupidity, is the hallmark of a frightening intellectual complacency that leaves absolutely no room for doubt." Other experts consider whether stupidity has an evolutionary basis, how it erodes morale, and the "very particular kind of adult stupidity" exemplified by Donald Trump. Although not a self-help guide, this book suggests that it rarely pays to argue with blockheads. Unfortunately, notes neuropsychologist Sebastian Dieguez, the "imbecile...doesn't have the mental resources that would permit him to perceive his own imbecility." A smart collection of articles and interviews on stupidity.

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August 31, 2020
Through a mix of essays and interviews, Marmion, a psychologist and the editor-in-chief of the French journal Le Cercle Psy, presents a comprehensive and witty inquiry into human folly in its myriad forms. The 28 contributors include psychiatrists, psychologists, and philosophers, as well as a screenwriter (Jean-Claude Carrière) and a marketing consultant (Mark Holiday, formerly of American Apparel). They offer widely varying and sweeping definitions of the subject, beginning with Marmion’s “Stupidity is an unkept promise, a promise of intelligence and confidence that the idiots among us betray, traitors to humanity,” but all can agree on its ubiquity and central role in shaping human affairs, particularly in the 21st century thus far. Philosopher Pascal Engel discusses the limits of what rationality can accomplish, Patrick Moreau unpacks the perils of linguistic laxness, and Marmion himself discusses heuristics, “the intuitive reasoning that people bring to their daily lives,” a concept coined by contributor Daniel Kahneman and his late colleague Amos Tversky. Among the wealth of insights, one of the salient takeaways is the importance of humility and self-skepticism, acutely stated by social psychologist Ewa Drozda-Senkowska: “Ignorance is a strong engine of knowledge, provided that you know you’re ignorant, and that you know what you don’t know.” Urgent and transformative, this compendium will leave readers equally amused, appalled, and enlightened. Agent: Marleen Seegers, 2 Seas Agency.

October 15, 2020
Psychologist Marmion rounds up a group of fellow psychologists and people from other fields (neurology, philosophy, even screenwriting) to present a remarkably comprehensive and accessible look at the nature and varieties of stupidity. Why are some people more stupid than others? Why do the most stupid people absolutely refuse to believe they are stupid? Why do smart people believe in really stupid things? These are just some of the key questions Marmion and his contributors discuss. They also tackle such important issues as the phenomenon of collective stupidity (Why do groups of people share the same stupid beliefs?), the defining characteristics of an asshole, the classifications of the various forms of stupidity (silly versus foolish versus inept), the differences between lies and hogwash, and why we assign meaning to coincidences. The writing is technical where appropriate?in defining terms, for example?but overall the book has an easygoing, colloquial feel to it: idiots, like zombies, want to eat your brains. An illuminating look at a subject that is more complex than it might appear to be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)