Dear Friends,
It seems to me, one of the primary attributes of a stupid person is the belief that if given unlimited power they could make the world into utopia. They would be the virtuous central planner. I suspect almost every stupid person on Earth believes that. Such ideas are born of the Dunning-Kruger effect. One need not know anything about a subject to assume they know it all. This is because we don’t know what we don’t know. The stupid, however, assume that if they don’t know it, it doesn’t exist. This facilitates the notion that one could rule the planet with an iron fist and Heaven on Earth would result. For one to be that stupid, knowledge of history must be perverted or absent, complexity theory has to be gibberish, and the ego needs to be the size of the planet they wish to rule.
History is emphatic that central planning fails spectacularly. Even when vested in the hands of Confucius’ Sage Kings, it was perverted by Yu. Modern versions have resulted in mass slaughter, famine, and world wars. Then there are the gulags. History is only a reflection of the nature of central planning by force. Confucius’ Sage Kings ruled by example and force of personality… not force of arms. They supposedly became the ideal of what they asked of the people. Seeing the example, the people would follow and be virtuous. How many people who earnestly believe they could rule the world with an iron fist and create utopia… would lead by example? I would wager not one. That’s why central planners need force, to keep the people from following the leader’s example.
People seek their own self-interest. I do it and so do you. It’s human nature. If we are asked to sacrifice for the greater good, and we see a good in it for us and our loved ones, we step up. If we look at those who are asking us to tighten our belts and they are loosening theirs, we become aggravated. That’s when force becomes necessary. External force is insufficient to stifle human nature, however. The example of greedy, power-mad, and egotistical rulers only makes everyone greedy, power-mad, and egotistical. This causes chaos because the people only follow law and morals when there is instant punishment. They have no self-restraint. That was beaten out of them by their leader’s actions and wrath. The stupider the leaders are, the more destructive the stupidity they foster will be.
I think most people who believe if they were made all powerful they would create utopia, earnestly believe they would improve the lot of Mankind. They wouldn’t seek to starve millions, start wars that kill millions, or enslave whole populations… that would simply be the result. This is because intentions do not yield results. There is a saying… concentrated stupidity is indistinguishable from malice. A single stupid person, no matter how stupid, is only capable of limited harm. Give that stupid person unlimited power, and they now have unlimited power to harm. The harm they can inflict is effectively unlimited. Not done out of malice or ill intent, just the result of a stupid person forcing their stupidity on mankind. This is because they don’t know what they don’t know, so assume it doesn’t matter.
The stupid will kick down Chesterton’s fence to help someone and be aghast at the results. Then they have to build a network of fences to mitigate the harm. That network of new fences to control evils creates banal evil. Constant little evils that make up day to day life under central planning… even as we look up and watch the politically favored fly above the network of fences. This aggravates us, which results in more fences. Moreover, stupid people are not likely to lead by example. Such people haven’t learned humility, gratitude, or temperance. These are qualities required for leading by example. So when invested with unlimited power, the stupid become hedonists fulfilling their every desire, as they demand the people tighten their belts. This is done not out of malice but out of stupidity.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
