A Short History of Stupidity

by Stuart Jeffries

We are living, it is often said, in a golden age of stupidity, in which boneheaded, mendacious politicians get elected by voters who’ve become too mindless to realize their interests are ill served by narcissists, while vapid social media influencers corrupt their no less witless followers with groundless conspiracy theories and eye-wateringly foolish takedowns of scientific expertise. Our time, one might be forgiven for thinking, is one in which the fool’s gold of stupidity has become a desirable commodity, a must-have, with bumbling celebrities venerated more than those who have more than two brain cells to rub together. In this book, Stuart Jeffries analyses how we got into this parlous state and wonders if the stupid, like the poor, are always with us, or if, rather, stupidity is like Japanese knotweed, difficult to root out but to be exterminated with extreme prejudice. He considers what some of the greatest of minds – Socrates, Buddha, Voltaire, Arendt, and others – have to tell us about the slippery nature of stupidity.

During a narrative that takes us from ancient Greece to artificial intelligence, and accompanied by such heroes of stupidity as Flaubert’s double act Bouvard and Pécuchet, Jeffries casts a sceptical eye on attempts to root out stupidity by such means as IQ tests, eugenics, gene editing, and racist education policies, finding each attempt to be more stupid than the stupidity they were ostensibly devised to eradicate. If today we are living in a fool’s paradise, has our species become too dim to learn anything from its rich history of folly?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Philosophy

336 pages, Hardcover

Published November 10, 2025

About the author

Stuart Jeffries worked for the Guardian for twenty years and has written for many media outlets including the Financial Times and Psychologies. He is based in London.

Reviews

[JJ Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review at www.NerdyNerdyBookBook.com

[Paige Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Short History of Stupidity by Stuart Jeffries is a witty, wide-ranging, and intellectually ambitious work that traces the long and surprisingly rich history of human folly — from ancient Greece to the age of artificial intelligence — with sharp cultural commentary and genuine philosophical depth.

One of the book's greatest strengths is its ability to balance levity with seriousness. Jeffries approaches a seemingly comic subject with genuine intellectual rigour, drawing on the wisdom of figures such as Socrates, Voltaire, Hannah Arendt, and the Buddha to interrogate how stupidity has been understood, tolerated, and even celebrated across different eras and cultures.

Particularly compelling is the book's critique of the various methods societies have employed in attempts to eliminate stupidity — including IQ testing, eugenics, gene editing, and discriminatory education policies. Jeffries argues persuasively that each of these so-called solutions has ultimately proven more misguided than the problem it sought to address, offering a sobering reflection on humanity's recurring capacity for well-intentioned error.

The use of Flaubert's beloved comic duo Bouvard and Pécuchet as recurring literary guides adds both charm and thematic coherence, grounding the book's philosophical explorations in a memorable and enduring portrait of human limitation.

The book is also timely. Its analysis of how modern political culture, social media, and the erosion of expert authority have created what the author describes as a golden age of stupidity feels urgent and resonant, offering readers not just a historical lens but a framework for understanding the present moment.

For readers drawn to cultural history, social commentary, and philosophy written with wit and accessibility, A Short History of Stupidity is a thought-provoking and genuinely entertaining read one that asks uncomfortable questions about human intelligence while never losing its sense of humour.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen (and anyone else out there-- I want to be inclusive), look at that cover! Happy bright blue. Whimsical font choice. Drawing of a bicycle with square wheels. Was it unreasonable of me to expect whimsy? Was I way out of line to expect a fun book? Folks, this book is not fun. It started with Greek philosophers, progressed to Nietzsche, went on to the beginnings of the Eugenics movement in the late 19th century, discussed the ways intelligence tests were (and still are) being used to further marginalize already systemically disadvantaged groups, then revisited the current resurgence of Eugenics. Did I mention it wasn’t fun?

It was well-written, engaging, and the author did drop in a lot of anecdotes that made me smile, and that’s the only way I made it through.

I’d still like to have a chat with the cover artist, and the person at the publishing house that approved the design.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Sorry, but this book was not for me.

And the title is incredibly misleading. I felt like this was neither sort nor a history of stupidity. It just felt like a bunch of random ramblings that didn't connect to anything.

I like to leave a non-fiction book feelings like I learned a lot. I want to be able to share all of the random little facts I learned. I left this book feeling like I didn't learn a thing. That's kind of all I ask from a non-fiction book. So this was a fail for me.

I also did not like the narrator. Sorry to that man. He was just too mumble-y. I really couldn't understand most of what he was saying.

I just wanted so much more from this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Erica Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was nothing short about this history of stupidity. In fact, it felt like everything and the kitchen sink. The book lost me early on when the author literally recited the definition of stupidity. Based on the book jacket, I thought we might get a conversational look at how stupid people ended up running the world and thoughts on how we might course correct but instead, I got a very dry, very dense, very academic volume that really failed to make any discernible point. I do not think I was the audience for this book. But upon second thought, I'm not really sure who would be...

Thanks NetGalley and Tantor Media | Tantor Audio for the advance listening copy!

[Shannon Heaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I thought this was going to be a book just simply lampooning stupidity, but the author goes on to show it in a variety of contexts (as a historical fact and how it is currently affecting modern society), and it's really interesting how certain things designed to show how humanity has built itself a smarter world, has done so with tools that have a fair amount of stupidity built into them. The book will not fit your expectations, might surprise you from time to time, but you will see a lot of data cited for...well, that is the question. That stupidity is always going to be with us? Seems that was already the case.

[KRM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I assumed from the cover this would be a more comedic book, it has it's moments, but it is very much a philosophical look at what stupidity is and how we've understood it in different eras and regions.

I like academic books, but this was a little dry for me. That being said, I am so glad I read it. I kept rewinding entire chapters even because they were so interesting, they just needed more effort to unpack everything. It's a very thoughtful book that is worth the time and attention to get the most out of it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy, all opinions are my own.

[Ashlee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this book. The book jacket led me to believe this was a book that was full of research and information. Instead, it came across as one person’s opinion. Unfortunately, the author came across as having instances of being chauvinistic and semi-narcissist. So many personal opinions, rather than what I assumed would have been investigative reporting.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen. This was not a book for me.

[Peejay(Pamela) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Setting aside as DNF due to its rambling approach. There is nothing “short” about this short history. I was expecting more humor and less didactic explanation.

[Anita Salát · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started very promising, then I had a massive reading (listening) slump, and the last third of it I enjoyed a lot. It's not really a pocket-sized version of the topic but this bothered me the least. The narrator read quickly, which is rather unusual with non-fiction books, and I had trouble with finding the right speed that works with me well. Yet, I had a handful of aha-moments while reading.

[Lindsay pinkcowlandreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good history about something unique and different and a history of stupidity sounded absolutely fascinating, especially in this time and age- that being said this was not a history and it did drag on…

This book does go back in history to use his historical text to hear other people‘s opinions and thoughts against stupid DD and humanity, but it does not provide a great historical timeframe or any real placement that could take these opinions and writings and put them into a context of a history. I found listening to this that the writing kind of repeats itself three different iterations of text that support the authors, thoughts and feelings on the subject without really giving us the listener much to go on other than being a wall for him to bounce his sound off of.

To add an insult to injury, I found that the narrator chose, chosen, Mike Cooper and his educated British accent to be very condescending sounding while reading this text. I’m sure the author thought it was a perfect fit to go with his book but as a reader, I found it offputting.

I was looking forward to a fun a lighthearted history with interesting facts and figures to base the transition of society and education/stupidity on, but that was not what I found here.