CARLO M. CIPOLLA (1922-2000) was an Italian economic historian, Fulbright Fellow and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Cipolla was awarded the International Balzan Prize for Economic History in 1995 and held honorary degrees in Italy and Switzerland. His classic treatise The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity was first published in 1988 and has been published in more than ten languages. Originally written in English, this is the first time it's being published in the US.
"Cipolla's subtle tongue-in-cheek humor made this book an
underground classic in Italy. Today, under current worldwide
political trends, it reads more like black humor. Keep in mind:
reliable statistical data shows that 98% of the people seriously
believe that they are far less stupid than the average."
—Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
"Subtly lacerating."
—Publishers Weekly
“The more you confront actual stupidity in everyday life, the more
infuriating it is, whereas the more you contemplate it in the
abstract, the more amusing it becomes. Cipolla finds the perfect
tone to handle this paradox. On the page, he is arch and slightly
annoyed, with a good deal of mock scholarly gravity thrown in….
Cipolla is very droll, and his theories—however deeply he has
implanted his tongue in his cheek—have a helpful, clarifying
quality.”
—Commentary Magazine
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