About this episode

The episode discusses Dietrich Bonhoeffer's 'Theory of Stupidity' and its implications during authoritarian regimes.

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode we discussed Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s provocative “Theory of Stupidity,” written during his resistance to the Nazi regime. Drawing from his letters and prison writings, Bonhoeffer argues that stupidity is more dangerous than evil, not a lack of intelligence, but a moral and social failure that spreads in times of power and propaganda. We unpack what he meant, why he believed stupidity thrives under authoritarianism, and how his insights remain strikingly r...

People in this episode

Hosts: Ian Wolffe, Stoney, Jason

Topics covered

• stupidity
• authoritarianism
• morality
• Nazi regime
• propaganda

Keywords

• Bonhoeffer
• stupidity
• evil
• moral failure
• social failure
• propaganda
• Nazi

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