Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity, something more dangerous than malice

Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity acts as a reflection of past and present events. Every person knows how to identify evil, so they should not hesitate to act against it. However, in the face of ignorance there is helplessness, because it does not listen to reason and tends to spread silently.

The stupid person grants veracity at a given moment to the most implausible idea, the most ridiculous conspiracy and the most dangerous proclamation. It is frequently noticed on social networks.

The problem is that irrational voices are contagious, they become viral and spread in a society that discovers with bewilderment how ignorance is, at a given moment, more threatening than malice itself. How is this unique phenomenon orchestrated? Learn more, right away.

Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity: origin and characteristics

There are figures lost at the dawn of history who deserve to be recovered and honored. One of them is Dietrich Bonhoeffer​, German Christian leader who was part of the resistance movement against Nazism. And not only that, he rose as a prominent image in his opposition to Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies.

He was locked up and accused of conspiracy, after it was discovered that he helped Jews flee to Switzerland. In 1945 he was taken to the Flossenbürg concentration camp, where he was hanged.. His legacy remains, his reflections on totalitarianism and a theory that is timeless. It is the one that reminds us that ignorant people, with their passivity and poor judgment, leave the door open to fatality.

“Stupidity is the most dangerous enemy of good,” he writes in a text published in Journal of Church and Statewhich collected a good part of his thoughts. He was a brave man who bequeathed ideas applicable at any time in history. Go deeper into them, below.

The stupidity of one part of society could lead to disaster for everyone.

Stupidity has a dark side

Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity reveals that Minds without criteria, lacking logic and the capacity for self-reflection, can be more dangerous than those endowed with evil.. It was during those days in the concentration camps when this Lutheran theologian delved into that dark reality that dominated Germany and tried to describe it in his letters.

Now, stupidity does not refer to that figure with limited cognitive potential. Stupid is the one who does not question what they are told, who follows orders without thinking and who, lacking judgment, does not pay attention to other ideas..

In some ways, Bonhoeffer’s ideas have a certain similarity to what the philosopher Edmund Burke said in the 17th century: “for evil to triumph, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.” In the case of what happened in the Second World War and in many other social and humanitarian crises of great magnitude, there is a fact that is most disturbing.

The moment stupidity acts in a group – “herd behavior” – the great threat arrives. Evil enters through the front door. In essence, To prevail, evil needs the herd minds ruled by ignorance as a key.

The problem: we tolerate stupidity more than evil

According to Bonhoeffer’s theory, we do not tend to combat stupidity in the same way as we do with evil. Their natures are very different. So much so that, We usually smile at naive behavior, simplistic reasoning and thoughtless commentary that is not even worth debating.

This phenomenon is frequently noticed on social networks. Stupid tweets are everywhere and people try not to give them importance; they are tolerated. Until, suddenly, fake news goes viral, a conspiracy theory is fueled, and ideas without a scientific or logical basis spread uncontrollably. It happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Likewise, there is another similar fact that has been analyzed for years in the field of organizations, it is what is known as functional stupidity. The University of Uppsala, Sweden, highlights in a study how in many companies employees no longer question prevailing procedures and standards. They just let themselves go.

This dynamic is also a problem, because whoever becomes a passive agent without reacting or reformulating what conditions and surrounds them, gives free way to totalitarianism and coercion. Normalizing and allowing stupid behavior to flow affects everyone, because it acts as a facilitator of evil.

Evil needs hordes of stupid people to achieve power. That is the real risk.

Society’s zombies and Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity

Authentic “zombies” also live in the social environment, that is, people carried away by slogans and banners that they do not question. And the more striking, extreme and illogical, the better. This is often evident in movements dominated by extreme ideologies.

Suddenly, Leaders emerge who provide simplistic solutions to complex problems, threatening and populist characters who, in a short time, gain a large number of followers who give them power. Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity warns us of this very thing; of how naïve minds swallow these meaningless narratives and follow them blindly. Like souls devoid of rational brains.

When stupidity defeats reason, we all lose

Stupidity is the greatest disease of society, because it acts as the best instrument for the evil mind to climb positions and achieve power. There is no greater danger than not reasoning or applying a critical look to the events around us.

Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity is relevant today, because More and more ideas are assumed to be true automatically, without critical thinking that questions them..

In this reality dominated by scroll and clickbait, there is hardly time to doubt what is seen and analyze what is said. It is easier to accept what comes and obey, imitate or do the same thing that others do. It happened with him Brexit and similar phenomena during the coronavirus confinement.

Keep that in mind, If stupidity defeats reason, nonsense advances and humanity goes backwards. Not worth it.

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