Stupid Idiots - by Lars Svendsen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A witty yet thoughtful examination of stupidity and idiocy in modern life.

This witty yet thoughtful book examines stupidity and idiocy, and their most dangerous incarnation: stupid idiocy--the unthinking embrace of flawed thinking. While philosophers chase wisdom, this book takes a humbler route, asking instead how we might think just a little less badly. Drawing sharp distinctions between not thinking and thinking poorly, and doubling down on bad thought, it reveals how deeply these failings are tied to our mental habits. With clarity and humor, it considers how stupidity shapes everyday life and public discourse. Within its pages is a chapter on politics and a pointed critique of Donald Trump, "stupid idiot supreme." This is an accessible philosophical guide for anyone who wants to better understand--and perhaps reduce--their own foolishness.

Review Quotes

"According to Svendsen, we must identify our own faults to become better participants of democratic discourse--but the guilty pleasure of reading Stupid Idiots comes from the tools it gives us to make fun of others. It's the sugar that makes the medicine go down. At its most entertaining, the book is a wry catalogue of humanity's faults."

-- "Asymptote"

"This is a slender, introductory work, but the author's scholarship is as impressive as his wit. There are detailed references, signposts to further reading and--increasingly rare in shorter books--a useful index. . . . Stupid Idiots is an effective and entertaining overview of a fascinating aspect of epistemology. And the current distortion of public debate in the interests of a super-wealthy power elite makes it a timely and important publication."

-- "Morning Star"

"Svendsen's wry philosophical text treats stupidity as a persistent human condition that's shaped by knowledge, belief, and social context. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, and cultural observation, the book explores how foolish thinking arises, why it persists, and how it can affect individuals, including Svendsen himself and accomplished figures. . . . A compelling philosophical study, Stupid Idiots probes the persistence of human folly as a shared condition rather than an individual failing."

-- "Foreword Reviews"

"There may be no greater clear and present danger to our society, our health, and our environment--indeed, to our very existence--than the current contagion of stupidity and idiocy. Svendsen's serious but accessible and entertaining book is thus a timely and essential tool both for identifying the threat and for finding a way to save ourselves from the epistemological epidemic and restore some rationality to the world."--Steven Nadler, Vilas Research Professor and William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

About the Author

Lars Svendsen is professor of philosophy at the University of Bergen, Norway. He has written fifteen books, including A Philosophy of Fear, A Philosophy of Loneliness, A Philosophy of Lying, and A Philosophy of Hope, all also published by Reaktion Books. Matt Bagguley is a translator of Norwegian fiction and nonfiction. He lives in Oslo.