Book description
'A classic' - Simon Kuper, Financial Times
'Brilliant' - James O'Brien, author of How to be Right
The five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world.
Since time immemorial, a powerful dark force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness. It…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This very short book is a miniature masterpiece. Though written in 1976, it is startling in its relevance to our age and times setting out the five principles of stupidity and why they matter. Without ruining the book for you, Cipolla’s central thesis is that ‘stupidity’ exists in the same quantity throughout all tiers of society. So, you have the same degree of stupid authors as stupid barristers, doctors, tree surgeons, and plumbers and that this is unfortunate because: “a stupid person is the most dangerous kind of person.” Ultimately the book explains why, throughout history, we have elevated stupid…
From Andrew's list on to fight fake history.
If you love The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,367
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity, you might also like...
Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South
Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.
Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…
A Winter's Disgrace
Cyprian, a marquess’s heir, will not let his mother choose his next bride. Leaving a house party in a blizzard to avoid her stratagems, he finds a woman trudging half frozen toward the London road. Rosamund fled disgrace, hoping to reach the one person who might shelter her, but even…
