Idiots are omnipresent creatures that seem to sprout from the ground like weeds. Let's just say that the noble art of dealing with other people's stupidity without losing shreds of your own sanity has become a survival skill these days.
Anyone who thinks it's just a question of patience is mistaken. No, it's a philosophical discipline and a stoic practice in times of social media. A veritable mental academy for those who insist on keeping at least two neurons working in sync.
In this article we're going to explore the essential skill of navigating the raging sea of everyday idiocy without losing your head - well... at least that's the proposal.
The Silent Epidemic We Pretend Not to See
Perhaps the only truly renewable and inexhaustible resource on the planet is human idiocy, and nobody who lives among people can deny that fact.
Albert Einstein had already warned us when he said: ‘Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe’. Never has a scientific phrase been so prophetic and, at the same time, so empirically verifiable in everyday life.
But what defines a modern idiot? Well, we're not referring here to those with a low level of education or who have some cognitive limitation. We're talking about the kind of contemporary idiocy that is much more sophisticated and democratic - which also affects PhDs, CEOS, politicians, influencers with millions of followers and even that aunt who has an opinion on international geopolitics based exclusively on chat app audios.
The Idiot: A Species in Constant Evolution
This fascinating creature that, like a social chameleon, adapts to any environment, always finds new ways to test our patience. As the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said: ‘Hell is other people.’ And frankly, sometimes it seems that hell is so overcrowded that a few specimens are roaming free in the midst of paradise.
But let's not rush to judgement. After all, as Socrates wisely observed, ‘I only know that I know nothing’. Perhaps, in our arrogance, we don't realise that we are also someone's idiots. That's why it's crucial to recognise the different species that inhabit the world.
Arhur Shopenhauer, a 19th century German philosopher, warned about the proliferation of mediocre works and the importance of thinking for yourself, avoiding the mechanical reproduction of other people's ideas.
Manual for Recognising Social Fauna Species
If we were to create a taxonomy of human idiocy, we would need several volumes and an interdisciplinary team of anthropologists, psychologists and comedians. However, we can highlight some particularly common species:
The Donkey: this is the person who, despite being surrounded by information on all sides, is unable to ‘join the dots’. This is the individual who takes part in a democratic demonstration calling for the return of the dictatorship, without even realising the blatant contradiction in their actions. Their capacity for reasoning is so limited that it's almost comical, if not tragic.
The CoolIdiot : This is the guy who reads what the ‘mercenary idiot’ writes and repeats his ideas in the hope of being socially accepted. He shows off his blog and newspaper readings as trophies, using other people's ideas to appear intelligent. He follows the dominant trend without question, striving to be fashionable, but without originality or critical thinking.
The Paranoid Knowledge Representative: Also popularly called the Mercenary Idiot. This type may be a genius in certain respects, but his lack of doubt makes him an idiot. He has absolute certainties and sees monsters to be slaughtered in any idea that challenges his convictions. His inability to experiment with other ways of looking at the world mortifies his intelligence, bringing him closer to ‘The Donkey’ and ‘ CoolIdiot’.
The UndefeatedMansplainer: the one who explains his own field of expertise to you in minute detail - even if you are literally the ultimate authority on the subject. Like the man who tries to explain to a neuroscientist how the brain works based on a half-watched internet documentary.
The Social Media Expert: A graduate of the prestigious University of Social Media, this species has a doctorate in ‘I Researched’ and a post-doctorate in ‘I Watched a Video’. Their sources are always ‘reliable’, although they can never be named or verified.
The Compulsive Opinionator: Suffers from a rare condition where silence causes physical pain (some say I belong to this species). They need to give their opinion on absolutely everything, especially subjects of which they don't have the most basic knowledge.
The Selective Negationist: Accepts all the science that allows them to use smartphones, GPS and antibiotics, but vehemently rejects the same scientific methodologies when the results contradict their personal beliefs.
The Chronic Interrupter: Someone who considers their speech to be infinitely more important than yours, regardless of the context. They firmly believe that conversations are competitions where the one who speaks the loudest or for the longest wins.
The Philosophy of Tolerance for Idiots: A Historical Perspectiv
The question of how to deal with other people's idiocy is not a new one. Philosophers from different eras have racked their brains (and possibly wanted to rack their brains) over this dilemma.
Socrates, a master of irony, developed his method of asking questions not to teach, but to gently expose the ignorance of his interlocutors. His elegant way of saying: ‘You don't know what you're talking about, but I'll let you find out for yourself’ is legendary. It was a passive-aggressive approach avant la lettre that would still be useful today at family gatherings.
Our friend Shopenhauer, with his characteristic optimism (pure irony), declared that ‘...stupidity in itself is not painful; the pain comes when stupidity collides with intelligence...’ Basically, we only suffer from idiots because, unfortunately, we're not one of them. The German philosopher suggested isolation as a solution - advice that has gained unprecedented viability in the home office era (oh, glory!).
Hannah Arendt, on the other hand, in her analysis of the banality of evil, offers us a disturbing perspective: often idiocy is not the result of malice, but of a lack of critical thinking. As she observed when analysing Eichmann: ‘The problem with Eichmann was precisely that many were like him and many were neither perverts nor sadists, but were and still are terrifyingly and frighteningly normal.’ A reflection that makes us wonder if the real idiot isn't just someone who has outsourced their thinking.
Simone de Beauvoir, with her characteristic lucidity, stated that ‘No one is more arrogant towards women than a man who is insecure about his own intelligence.’ An observation that could be expanded to: no one is more assertive in their opinions than the man who has studied the subject the least.
Tolerance: An Exercise in Mental Health
Tolerating idiots is like practising yoga in a minefield: it requires balance, concentration and the constant awareness that one false move can result in a catastrophic explosion - for our nerves. It's a daily exercise in patience, a mental gymnastics that would make even Buddha question his life choices.
The brilliant Dorothy Parker said, ‘The only cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity’. Perhaps this is the secret: to face other people's idiocy with anthropological curiosity. Maybe then we can turn our frustration into a fascinating study of the human capacity to be... well, human.
Practises for Mental Survival
Now that we've understood the problem and identified the different types of idiots, the question remains:
How can we deal with them without losing our sanity and/or developing an ulcer?
Digital Buddha technique: Practise informational detachment. Not every wrong opinion needs to be corrected, nor does every absurd post deserve your comment. As the contemporary (and fictional) philosopher Tyler Durden would say: ‘It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.’ - including ignoring idiocy.
Adapted Socratic Method: Ask yourself: ‘Does this discussion bring me joy?’. If the answer is no, mentally thank yourself and discard the interaction. Apply minimalism to your social interactions.
Stoic Distancing: As Marco Aurelio taught us, ‘You have power over your mind, not over external events. Realise this and you will find strength’. Remember that the other person's idiocy doesn't have to contaminate our mental state.
The Anthropologist's Strategy: Observe behaviour like a scientist studying an exotic culture. ‘Fascinating how this specimen forms opinions without any empirical evidence. Remarkable example of magical thinking in 21st century adults.’
Carpenting a Plot to Sow Patience: We must remember that not everyone has had the same opportunities for learning or critical development. Patience is a virtue that allows us to deal with the ignorance of others without becoming exasperated.
Laugh, Even If You're Nervous: Humour is a powerful tool for defusing tense situations. A good-humoured response can neutralise idiocy and get a laugh out of those present.
The Art of Not Reading: Schopenhauer said that life is short and we should avoid reading bad books. In the same way, we can avoid paying attention to idiotic opinions that add nothing of value to our lives.
Go Do Something Worthwhile: Just like flowers that fulfil their destiny by blooming in their own time, we should concentrate on what really matters, without letting ourselves be distracted by other people's idiocy.
Miss Candidate Method: Smile, wave - and feign dementia. Not every battle is worth fighting. Sometimes it's wiser to leave the idiot in his ignorance than to try to convince him otherwise. So let's swallow our advice and let everyone go to hell as they please.
Simultaneous Translation Technique: When confronted with a particularly exasperating piece of idiocy, try translating it into a language you don't understand. Suddenly, that absurd opinion on politics becomes a fascinating linguistic exercise in Klingon.
When Patience Ends: The Limit of Tolerance
Nietzsche has a phrase that I like a lot, which is: ‘If you stare long enough into an abyss, the abyss will also stare into you’. By tolerating idiots, don't we run the risk of becoming a bit of an idiot ourselves? Or does this exposure make us wiser, more patient, more... human?
There always comes a point, however, when tolerating becomes colluding. As Karl Popper reminds us in ‘The Paradox of Tolerance’: a tolerant society without limits will eventually be destroyed by the intolerant. The same applies to our mental sanity.
Some forms of idiocy transcend the annoying and enter dangerous territory: denialism that puts lives at risk, deliberate disinformation, prejudice disguised as ‘opinion’, dogmas dressed up as truths. In these cases, silence isn't gold - it's complicity.
As Audre Lorde tried to teach us, ‘...your silence will not protect you...’ - much less your ignorance. Sometimes confronting idiocy is not just a matter of preference, but of ethical necessity. The trick is to choose our battles wisely, like a general who knows he can't win every war, but can select the most strategic battlefields.
The Science of Idiocy (Yes, There Is One)
To better understand how to deal with idiocy and thus choose the best strategy, it's worth examining what science has to say on the subject.
Analytical psychology offers us insights into why intelligent people sometimes act like complete idiots. Confirmation Bias causes us to only seek out information that confirms what we already believe. It's like having a filter in our brains that only lets through what agrees with our worldview - the mental equivalent of only following people who agree with you and only say what you want to hear. Any resemblance to how the social media algorithm works is purely coincidental (haha OK).
The Backfire Effect is even more perverse: when confronted with evidence that contradicts their beliefs, some people not only reject the new information, but reinforce their ‘original’ convictions even more. It's as if the brain activates a defence system against inconvenient facts, creating an impenetrable fortress of idiocy. Take a look at what your brain's Reticular Activating System (RAS) means.
Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky suggests that when we feel threatened in our fundamental beliefs, our brain reacts in a similar way to a physical threat - activating fight or flight mechanisms that literally switch off parts of the prefrontal cortex responsible for critical thinking. In other words: idiocy is often the brain in panic mode, not necessarily a lack of intellectual capacity.
Understanding these mechanisms doesn't make idiocy any less annoying, but it can help us develop more compassion - or at least, less of a desire to commit a non-bailable offence after discussing politics or religion with someone.
Art as Refuge and Resistance
But it's when all strategies fail that we're left with artistic sublimation. Art has always been a refuge from human stupidity, whether through humour, literature or music.
Mark Twain once said: ‘Against stupidity, the gods themselves fight in vain’. But where the gods fail, comedians thrive. Humour is perhaps the most powerful tool for processing idiocy without going mad. It's no coincidence that some of the best humourists have emerged in particularly challenging times or societies.
Literature offers us company on this journey. From Don Quixote fighting windmills to Machado de Assis's ‘The Alienist’ questioning who really is crazy in an insane society, books remind us that our fight against human stupidity is timeless and universal.
As Virginia Wolf wrote: ‘If you don't tell the truth about yourself, you can't tell it about other people’. Perhaps the antidote to idiocy begins with honest self-questioning. After all, we all have our moments of sublime stupidity and recognising this is perhaps the first step towards developing genuine empathy.
The Positive Side of Other People's Idiocy
Believe it or not, there is a positive side to being surrounded by idiots. They provide us:
Endless material for anecdotes.
A sense of intellectual superiority (often illusory).
Opportunities to play the good Samaritan by practising our patience and compassion.
A renewed appreciation for intelligent people.
As Oscar Wilde once said, ‘The world is a stage, but the cast is lousy’. So let's look at it as a comedy rather than a tragedy. Better, eh?
Survival in the Apocalypse of Reason
Tolerating idiots without losing your sanity is not just a social skill - it's an art form, a spiritual discipline and, in some cases, an act of political resistance. As Camus would say, we should imagine Sisyphus happy, even as he eternally rolls his stone up a mountain. In the same way, we must find some joy in the absurd task of living with human idiocy without becoming irreparable cynics (ha, say it myself).
True wisdom perhaps lies in accepting that none of us is immune to the occasional idiot. As contemporary philosopher Alain de Botton reminds us, ‘To be human is to suffer from a peculiar amnesia about our own faults while keeping in crystal clear memory the faults of others.’
So tolerating idiots doesn't mean passively accepting idiocy. It means recognising that, behind absurd opinions and irritating behaviour, there are human beings who are complex, fallible and - on some level - just as confused as we are about how to navigate this world. And if that sounds too Zen for you, remember that it's perfectly acceptable, from time to time, to take a day out to shout into your pillow.
In my opinion, the real art lies not in tolerating idiots, but in finding the delicate balance between compassion and self-preservation. Between understanding human limitations and setting healthy boundaries. Between not losing patience and not losing yourself. And perhaps most importantly: learning to laugh at the absurdity of the human condition - including our own contribution to the great circus of collective folly.
Invitation to Reflection (and Action)
How have you dealt with the idiots around you without committing a crime or needing intensive care? Do you have any special techniques or are you already considering moving to a remote cave?
Feel free to share your experience or your mental survival strategies in the comments - after all, we're all on this journey to sanity in insane times together. And of course, if this content resonated with you, share it with friends and family.
But if you thought this article was just the tip of the iceberg of human insanity, don't forget to visit the UN4RT website, our intellectual and artistic backstage where madness and genius meet in exclusive content that will make your brain hurt.
And remember: in a world of idiots, being sane is the real madness. So let's embrace our collective insanity and laugh at the absurdity of existence. After all, as the great anonymous philosopher from a bar in Kreuzberg would say: ‘If we can beat them, how about confusing them with our genius disguised as idiocy?’
‘Illusion crumbles when we question reality.’ - UN4RT
Well, if you're still there, trying to prove to yourself that you're not an idiot, the sources, references and inspirations for this article are here.
Albert Einstein, the quote is often attributed to the theoretical physicist known for developing the Theory of Relativity, although there is no definitive record of where or when he said it.
Jean-Paul Sartre, quote from ‘Huis Clos’, English as ‘Between Four Walls’, a play written by the philosopher.
Socrates, Apology of Socrates (written by Plato) and the Socratic Method.
Arhur Shopenhauer, The Art of Writing, Aphorisms for the Wisdom of Life and The World as Will and Representation.
Avant la lettre, a French expression that literally means ‘before the letter’ or ‘before the name’. It is used to describe something or someone that already had characteristics of a concept or movement before that concept was formally named or defined.
Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: An Account of the Banality of Evil.
Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi officer who was one of the main people responsible for the logistics of the Holocaust. He was famously tried in Jerusalem in 1961.
Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex.
Buddha was Siddartha Gautama, a prince and philosopher who lived in India between the 6th and 5th centuries BC and is considered the ‘founder’ of Buddhism.
Dorothy Parker, the quote in this article is usually attributed to the American writer and poet known for her acid humour, but there is no concrete evidence.
Tyler Durden, a fictional character from the book ‘Fight Club’ by Chuck Palahniuk.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
Klingon, language spoken by the alien warrior race The Klingons from the Star Trek universe.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil.
Karl Popper, The Open Society and its Enemies.
Audre Lorde, The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action.
Confirmation Bias, the human tendency to seek out, interpret and remember information in a way that confirms our pre-existing beliefs, while ignoring or discarding data that contradicts them.
TheBackfireEffect , or Rebound Effect, is a psychological phenomenon in which, when confronting deeply held beliefs with contrary evidence, people not only reject the new information, but further reinforce their convictions. This is because accepting opposing ideas requires greater cognitive effort, generating emotional discomfort.
Reticular Activating System (RAS), a network of neurons that acts as a ‘brain filter’, deciding which stimuli deserve our attention and which can be ignored.
Robert Sapolsky, Behaviour: Human Biology at Its Best and Worst.
Mark Twain, the quote is often attributed to the American writer and humourist, although it is also attributed to the German poet Friedrich Schiller.
Don Quixote, mad nobleman, protagonist of the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha, written by the Spaniard Miguel de Cervantes.
Machado de Assis, The Alienist.
Virginia Wolf, A Roof All Your Own.
Oscar Wilde, there is no record that the phrase is actually by the Irish writer. The quote may be an ironic version of Shakespeare's famous quote in As You Like It: ‘All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’.
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus.
Thomas Bulfinch, The Golden Book of Mythology.
Sisyphus, a character from Greek mythology, known for his cunning and for deceiving the gods.
Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life.
Kreuzberg, is one of Berlin's most famous neighbourhoods. It is part of the Friedrichschain-Kreuzberg district and is known for its diversity, alternative art scene and lively nightlife.nsa.
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