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During the darkest chapter of German history, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young pastor, spoke out against the atrocities committed by the regime. He believed that stupidity, not malice, was the root of the problem. Stupidity, he argued, is a moral defect rather than an intellectual one. Stupid people are self-satisfied, resistant to reason, and easily irritated. Bonhoeffer believed that stupidity is more dangerous than malice because it cannot be exposed or prevented by force. He also noted that power often infects people with stupidity, depriving them of their inner independence. To overcome stupidity, liberation is necessary. Bonhoeffer died in a concentration camp, but his message remains relevant: actions must come from a readiness for responsibility, and the ultimate test of a moral society is the world it leaves for its children.

One of our biggest challenges is the human ego, which resists being wrong. This resistance stems from our desire to acquire knowledge and advance our ideas, leading us to become attached to them. To improve and avoid self-deception, especially for young people, it's important not to be overly attached to your ideas.

Many intelligent people incorrectly answer that Moses took animals on the ark, when it was Noah. This is because they are cognitive misers, capable of reasoning but relying on gut feelings. Cognitive miserliness can cause people to be swayed by irrelevant information and feelings, leading to poor decisions, and making them susceptible to fake news. Arthur Conan Doyle was an intelligent man who understood logical deduction, but in his private life, he was not rational due to his belief in spiritualism. Despite evidence from friends like Harry Houdini that he was being scammed by fraudulent mediums, Doyle used arguments, such as electromagnetic fields, to rationalize the existence of fairies.

People seek comfort in certainty, even if beliefs lack evidence. Criticizing others for being ignorant doesn't improve the situation. Personal experience shows arguing in comment threads is unproductive. Translation: Seeking certainty is common, even without evidence. Criticizing others doesn't help. Arguing online is not effective.

Most people cling to the belief that their leaders are just and fair, even when the evidence screams otherwise. Why? Because facing the truth means confronting uncomfortable realities. It takes courage to act, and that's in short supply today. Instead, we wrap ourselves in the comforting fantasy that the system is fair, that our leaders genuinely care. Propaganda isn't meant to fool the critical thinkers. It's designed to give the rest of us an excuse to avoid thinking altogether. Because thinking demands responsibility and responsibility demands action. For many, it's just easier to sit back, stay silent, and believe in the fairy tale. That's not patriotism, that's moral cowardice.

The Dunning-Kruger effect shows that ignorant people think they know everything, while experts doubt their knowledge. Learning about cognitive biases doesn't make us immune to them, despite thinking we are aware of our flaws.

Media has played a significant role in starting wars over the past 50 years by not digging deep enough and reprinting government propaganda. Populations are not willingly drawn into wars, so a good media environment promotes peace. Ignorance is our biggest enemy, as people need to understand the truth to make informed decisions. Some organizations promote ignorance by distorting information, particularly in the media. While there are a few excellent journalists, the majority are so distorted that we may be better off without them. This distortion has led to wars.

Trusting experts is not a feature of science or democracy. In legal cases, both sides present experts who can be convincing. Experts have their own biases and ambitions, so it's not reliable to trust them blindly. Trusting experts is more common in religion and totalitarianism.

I'm fascinated by authoritarian leaders, but I'm not smart enough to be a dictator. Some have called me a moron, and that's pretty accurate. Despite that, can a moron still be useful? I think the answer is yes. Vladimir Putin understands this dynamic very well.

Science is often misunderstood. Many people with advanced degrees only trust peer-reviewed papers and ignore observation, thinking, and discussion. This narrow view is pathetic. Academia values peer-reviewed papers, but this blocks new scientific insights and advancements. Breakthroughs in science usually come from the fringe, not the center of the profession. The finest candlemakers couldn't have imagined electric lights. Our ignorance and stupidity may lead to our downfall.

Authority can be dangerous when those in power equate criticism with subversion. It's a delicate balance, as some earn authority through capability while others use it to oppress. Unfortunately, we live in a society surrendered to authority, where government at all levels holds power over the average citizen. Expertise and education were once seen as important for a healthy society, but they have also bred arrogance and created a class separate from the average American. This concentration of power has led to monolithic thinking and a lack of skepticism. We must break free from this orthodoxy and embrace diverse voices to advance as a society.

When people have power over others, like governments or cult leaders, they tend to believe they are superior. Cult leaders enjoy controlling behavior and thoughts, feeling superior for running things. This sense of superiority is a common human trait throughout history.

It's getting harder to have intellectual debates with some people. The level of stupidity displayed daily is embarrassing, especially coming from those in Congress. The ridiculous things they say highlight the dumbing down of the United States. How else could we have had a Trump presidency?

People are too small-minded to govern themselves. Progress requires individuals to give up their rights to a powerful ruler.

Prudence, or practical wisdom, is lacking because in 1992, US leaders believed they could do what they wanted as the unchallenged world power. NATO bombed Serbia in 1999 without UN authorization. The invasion of Iraq was based on lies, not misunderstanding. The CIA operated to overthrow Assad in 2009, and NATO had a mission to overthrow Gaddafi. Four of the last five wars came from the United States and NATO enlargement. There needs to be balance and prudence.

IQ is falling in Western Europe and the USA since the 21st century. Studies show extreme orient countries like China, Japan, and Singapore perform best in mathematic comprehension. In France and the USA, 30% of people cannot read and understand one written page. Politicians are not clever, which is why they do stupid things. To change things, one must fight these people.

Speaker 0 - "Society teaches you to be blind because the society needs blind people." - "They are good slaves because they are always dependent on the leaders, politicians, pundits, priests." - "They are very convenient people." - "They never create any trouble." - "They are never rebels." - "They are obedient, always ready to submit to any kind of nonsense, to any stupid politician, to any stupid priest." - "And in fact, who else wants to be a politician except stupid people? And who wants to be a priest except stupid people?"

Humans generally lack awareness and are content in their ignorance. While individuals may be intelligent, people as a collective are dumb, panicky, and dangerous.

Science is often misunderstood. Many people with advanced degrees only trust peer-reviewed papers, ignoring observation and discussion. This narrow view is limiting and pathetic. Academia values peer-reviewed papers, but this means everyone agrees, stifling new knowledge and advancements. Breakthroughs in science usually come from the fringe, not the center. The finest candlemakers couldn't imagine electric lights. We are endangering ourselves with our own stupidity.

People are smarter than they're given credit for and generally make good decisions for their lives. When people do things that seem wrong, it's usually because the media doesn't understand their life, not because people are stupid. If someone is saying something that seems wrong, it's not usually misinformation, but a lack of understanding of their life. There's a paternalism in mainstream and media narratives, a "know-it-all-ism" that has existed for years. This might be changing as cultural or media elite people have a harder time predicting what's going to happen in the world, leading to more humility.

Smart, highly educated people are often out of touch with reality because they don't see the world as it is.

Society conditions people to be blind followers, making them ideal slaves who depend on leaders like politicians and priests. Blind obedience prevents rebellion, allowing for easy manipulation by those in power. Stupid individuals are drawn to roles like politicians and priests.

The conspiracy theorist believes in doing their own research, thinking for themselves, and seeing things firsthand. However, it is argued that thinking for oneself is not possible. This idea has been debunked since Kant, as it doesn't make sense. It is important to remember that you cannot think for yourself.

Speaker 0: Yeah. You can have enough satisfaction to reelect Ted Cruz. You cannot reelect Lindsey Graham. Not because they're evil. I'm not even saying they are, but because they've betrayed their most basic commitment, which is to our country Speaker 0: Ted Cruz was supposed to be a smart one. Was supposed to be. What the heck is going on here? Speaker 0: the problem with Ted Cruz is he has a high verbal IQ. Speaker 0: He is very fluent with the language. Speaker 0: If you are a good talker, you convince yourself that you're a genius. Speaker 0: Because you hear yourself talk and you're like, man, I'm smart. Speaker 0: But there is a huge difference between the ability to explain something or fluency with English and wisdom, like true wisdom. Speaker 0: And these people, all of this happened to me, they get incredibly arrogant. Speaker 0: They think they're smarter than they are. Speaker 0: They think they're wiser than they are.