I am sure most of you have heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. For those who have not, Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian. He was fiercely anti-Nazi and one of the few voices who spoke out against Hitler. Of course it cost him his life. He was hanged on 9 April 1945.
Bonhoeffer had a theory. It is called Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity. According to Bonhoeffer stupidity is a far greater threat than human evil. Evil can be protested, exposed, and even, to some degree, prevented by force. Not so stupidity, he states:
“Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed — in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical — and when facts are irrefutable, they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.” (See Letters and Papers from Prison)
I believe Dietrich Bonhoeffer has a valid point. What do you think?
Bonhoeffer had a theory. It is called Bonhoeffer’s theory of stupidity. According to Bonhoeffer stupidity is a far greater threat than human evil. Evil can be protested, exposed, and even, to some degree, prevented by force. Not so stupidity, he states:
“Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed — in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical — and when facts are irrefutable, they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.” (See Letters and Papers from Prison)
I believe Dietrich Bonhoeffer has a valid point. What do you think?