Reflection on what we are up against
One of my favorite thinkers is the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was executed by the Nazis mere weeks before the end of the war due to his role in the resistance to Hitler. He saw the danger of Hitler long before many others did, and opposed him on religious and ethical grounds. Here is what he said about stupidity, which reminded me of what we were up against in this election, and will be up against in the years to come:
"Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. 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. For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.”
"After Ten Years," 1943.
Bonhoeffer did not mean stupidity in the snobbish sense, but rather the blindness of any person, educated or uneducated, who refuses to truly think, who reacts from blind prejudice rather than our of rational thought, who is ideological rather than thoughtful.
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