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talkpoliticsYou must have heard the statement that the wisdom of the people should not be underestimated. Politicians tend to particularly love these words. Especially those of them who like to regularly flirt with people's fears and hopes instead of doing their job. You know, the ones we call populists.
Now here is another statement, made by one Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian and author of two world best-sellers, Sapiens and Homo Deus. History, he argues, teaches us of a very important thing: we should never underestimate people's stupidity. Because it's one of the most powerful forces in the universe, if not the most powerful.
Another quote, this one ascribed to Einstein, famously says that two things are infinite, the Universe and people's stupidity - although he is not sure of the former.
It is because of the power of stupidity, Harari argues in his books, that we can never rely on people to make the best decisions, and often neither their leaders can be trusted to do what is best for humankind. They may do it occasionally, but that would be more likely due to chance and favourable circumstance (even a broken clock shows the right time twice a day).
Especially at times when various political leaders around the world are vowing to reinstate the good old times when everything was fair and good, promising that they are the ones who can solve people's problems and answer their concerns, we should be particularly careful. As the world becomes a smaller place, its problems tend to become bigger as they involve more people: nuclear proliferation, climate change, rapid technological progress, social tremors. These problems can only be solved on a global scale because they have a global scope. They cannot be solved locally, on a national level. And populist leaders who sell nostalgic fantasies of a past when that used to be possible, are the most dangerous factor in modern politics, because they are an obstacle to addressing the future adequately.
I strongly recommend Harari's books.
Now here is another statement, made by one Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian and author of two world best-sellers, Sapiens and Homo Deus. History, he argues, teaches us of a very important thing: we should never underestimate people's stupidity. Because it's one of the most powerful forces in the universe, if not the most powerful.
Another quote, this one ascribed to Einstein, famously says that two things are infinite, the Universe and people's stupidity - although he is not sure of the former.
It is because of the power of stupidity, Harari argues in his books, that we can never rely on people to make the best decisions, and often neither their leaders can be trusted to do what is best for humankind. They may do it occasionally, but that would be more likely due to chance and favourable circumstance (even a broken clock shows the right time twice a day).
Especially at times when various political leaders around the world are vowing to reinstate the good old times when everything was fair and good, promising that they are the ones who can solve people's problems and answer their concerns, we should be particularly careful. As the world becomes a smaller place, its problems tend to become bigger as they involve more people: nuclear proliferation, climate change, rapid technological progress, social tremors. These problems can only be solved on a global scale because they have a global scope. They cannot be solved locally, on a national level. And populist leaders who sell nostalgic fantasies of a past when that used to be possible, are the most dangerous factor in modern politics, because they are an obstacle to addressing the future adequately.
I strongly recommend Harari's books.
