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Homo Idioticus: Why We Are Stupid and What to Do About It
Humans are remarkable beings. We have mastered flight, cracked the genetic code, developed quantum mechanics and democracy, been to the moon, and may soon become a multi-planetary species.
Yet, despite these unparalleled achievements, we can still be...pretty stupid.
Can you believe
10% of Americans use their phones during sex
40% of Americans reject the theory of evolution
IQs in developed countries have been declining since 1995
86% of American teens cannot differentiate between fact and opinion
In Homo Idioticus, renowned economist, investor, and entrepreneur, Cezary Pietrasik, explores the paradox of human intelligence and irrationality, delving into the roots of this idiocy, from biology to societal norms to systemic flaws, using vivid historical and modern examples to illustrate our follies.
With humor, compelling anecdotes, and a clear sense of urgency, the book challenges listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about human behavior while also providing inspiring strategies to overcome these pitfalls and fight our own stupidity.
Through a compelling three-part examination, you’ll
How?: Societal, political, technological and economic factors that have led to and perpetuate our irrational behavior.
Why?: A combination of deep-seated biological, psychological, sociological and institutional factors that limit our cognitive ability and lead to suboptimal decision making.
What to do about it?: Practical, actionable strategies to foster smarter decision-making on both individual and societal levels – and save humanity from its own self-destruction.
Homo Idioticus offers a profound exploration of how humans can be their own worst enemies—and how we, both individually and collectively, can fight back. A must-listen for anyone interested in a better future for ourselves and for generations to come.
Yet, despite these unparalleled achievements, we can still be...pretty stupid.
Can you believe
10% of Americans use their phones during sex
40% of Americans reject the theory of evolution
IQs in developed countries have been declining since 1995
86% of American teens cannot differentiate between fact and opinion
In Homo Idioticus, renowned economist, investor, and entrepreneur, Cezary Pietrasik, explores the paradox of human intelligence and irrationality, delving into the roots of this idiocy, from biology to societal norms to systemic flaws, using vivid historical and modern examples to illustrate our follies.
With humor, compelling anecdotes, and a clear sense of urgency, the book challenges listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about human behavior while also providing inspiring strategies to overcome these pitfalls and fight our own stupidity.
Through a compelling three-part examination, you’ll
How?: Societal, political, technological and economic factors that have led to and perpetuate our irrational behavior.
Why?: A combination of deep-seated biological, psychological, sociological and institutional factors that limit our cognitive ability and lead to suboptimal decision making.
What to do about it?: Practical, actionable strategies to foster smarter decision-making on both individual and societal levels – and save humanity from its own self-destruction.
Homo Idioticus offers a profound exploration of how humans can be their own worst enemies—and how we, both individually and collectively, can fight back. A must-listen for anyone interested in a better future for ourselves and for generations to come.
- GenresAudiobookNonfiction
336 pages, Paperback
Published June 23, 2025
16 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 28, 2025
TLDR: skip to Part 3,
Great framework for a book.
The first section includes well told stories, some good humor, lots of interesting facts, multiple disappointing factual errors, several misrepresentations of history, and some obnoxious sexism I gave the author a hard time about.
He completely misrepresented the original purpose of the Second Amendment. In another instance, he referenced a survey that never happened. Was this written with a hallucinating LLM?
He calls vulvas “vaginas” and says FGM involves cutting “glands.” He implies loss of female sexual pleasure doesn’t matter. Elsewhere, he says testosterone is the hormone of desire. Why then is premenopausal female desire more correlated with estrogen? Why do women so often have more desire than men, at least in relationships, when our testosterone is an order of magnitude lower?
In another example, he claims that men become more aggressive if they don’t get sex. While that may be true, he supplies the following as evidence: “A 2018 study of six Asian countries with or without significant gender imbalance found that a mere 0.1% increase in the ratio of men to women led to men being more likely to commit violence with a weapon, with the odds ratio increasing to 1.59 (when no gender imbalance exists, the odds ratio is 1.00), and more likely to rape a woman, with the odds ratio increasing to 1.80.”
This is not evidence for the claim he is making. Though perhaps sex is the determining factor, he provides no evidence to support that. A better explanation might be that women influence the broader culture more and enforce their rights more effectively when they are in greater numbers.
There are many more errors as well. Since the author admits to being a stupid human sharing 99% of his DNA with chimpanzees, I guess some flaws are expected.
I recommend skipping Part 1 entirely.
The second section tackles why we are stupid. Behave, Thinking Fast and Slow, and Willful Blindness also cover this. Cezary does a good job covering each of the biases succinctly. Cezary also does a good job with his critique of institutions in a way I haven’t seen laid out as well elsewhere.
There are a lot of books about biases and human stupidity, but this one is unique in providing great ideas about solutions, which become increasingly important as our power grows to exceed our wisdom. That’s where this book shines.
Part 3 is by far the strongest, but it didn’t address core problems with solving incentives for institutional corruption. But I like Cezary personally, so I am giving this 4 stars even though I am very disappointed.
Great framework for a book.
The first section includes well told stories, some good humor, lots of interesting facts, multiple disappointing factual errors, several misrepresentations of history, and some obnoxious sexism I gave the author a hard time about.
He completely misrepresented the original purpose of the Second Amendment. In another instance, he referenced a survey that never happened. Was this written with a hallucinating LLM?
He calls vulvas “vaginas” and says FGM involves cutting “glands.” He implies loss of female sexual pleasure doesn’t matter. Elsewhere, he says testosterone is the hormone of desire. Why then is premenopausal female desire more correlated with estrogen? Why do women so often have more desire than men, at least in relationships, when our testosterone is an order of magnitude lower?
In another example, he claims that men become more aggressive if they don’t get sex. While that may be true, he supplies the following as evidence: “A 2018 study of six Asian countries with or without significant gender imbalance found that a mere 0.1% increase in the ratio of men to women led to men being more likely to commit violence with a weapon, with the odds ratio increasing to 1.59 (when no gender imbalance exists, the odds ratio is 1.00), and more likely to rape a woman, with the odds ratio increasing to 1.80.”
This is not evidence for the claim he is making. Though perhaps sex is the determining factor, he provides no evidence to support that. A better explanation might be that women influence the broader culture more and enforce their rights more effectively when they are in greater numbers.
There are many more errors as well. Since the author admits to being a stupid human sharing 99% of his DNA with chimpanzees, I guess some flaws are expected.
I recommend skipping Part 1 entirely.
The second section tackles why we are stupid. Behave, Thinking Fast and Slow, and Willful Blindness also cover this. Cezary does a good job covering each of the biases succinctly. Cezary also does a good job with his critique of institutions in a way I haven’t seen laid out as well elsewhere.
There are a lot of books about biases and human stupidity, but this one is unique in providing great ideas about solutions, which become increasingly important as our power grows to exceed our wisdom. That’s where this book shines.
Part 3 is by far the strongest, but it didn’t address core problems with solving incentives for institutional corruption. But I like Cezary personally, so I am giving this 4 stars even though I am very disappointed.
November 17, 2025
Something about this was just....off. The entire writing style felt bizarre and honestly made me wonder if this was written by not-actually-AI.
One of the biggest issues was tone, which felt all over the place. Combined with some unusually predictable sentence structure patterns that repeated, it raised alarm bells.
Never mind that the entire thing feels pointless. It seems to have no actual thesis and just meanders from one example of stupidity to the next. The problem there is that it feels like Matt and Trey from South Park claiming "we just take swings at everyone", where it just feels like contrarianism for its own sake rather than communicating an actual idea.
This is further exacerbated by things like the section that made me realize this was a waste of time: An extended bulleted list (another not-actually-AI red flag) portraying things like "providing clean needles to reduce the spread of disease" as "stupid". While that would be a huge red flag that the author is a regressive fascist, a plague we're in the midst of right now, it doesn't quite jive with other opinions supposedly held by this author earlier in the text. I've never encountered anyone so politically inconsistent like this....except in nonsense crapped out by an LLM.
This is why I suspect this "author" didn't actually write this, because the text contradicts itself and seems to have no awareness of anything else that came before it. It reads like each section was written in a vacuum only unified by the vague idea of "humans are dumb".
The flimsy justification for the use of IQ, for example, feels like an LLM building a facade of rationale for using something anyone actually writing a legitimate book with this title would probably use as an example of how poorly humans understand the concept of intelligence in the first place (the very idea of objectively reducing such a complex concept to a single number is rightly derided, at least by actual scientists, in 2025, but an LLM can only use the materials its owners stole to train it, hence the plethora of junk "science").
If this was in fact written by a human, I can think of no more damning criticism than to say it feels like an LLM hallucination. The lack of consistency and the "style" is incredibly reminiscent of an edgelord 16 year old writing an essay for an english class and thinking their teacher's going to tell them this isn't acceptable so they can begin their crusade against the persecution of their unique genius.
You just don't write a book like this where all you seem to do is put disjointed, contradictory things in bulleted lists to point out humans do dumb things (even ignoring if those things listed are even valid or logical in any way). If a reader picked up a book with this title, odds are they agree with you, and you're preaching to the choir. It serves no purpose to simply restate the only idea your title conveys ad nauseum with endless "examples".
Such a circle-jerk is not only pointless, it's unfortunately the bread and butter of the lazy, opportunistic, talentless rabble in 2025. Sell a few copies to people who are uncritical of what they consume and agree with you and call it a win. If it isn't? I'm sorry this is the world we live in, but man you absolutely suck at writing nonfiction to the point that it makes me thinks this.
Makes me glad I didn't pay a cent for this trash.
One of the biggest issues was tone, which felt all over the place. Combined with some unusually predictable sentence structure patterns that repeated, it raised alarm bells.
Never mind that the entire thing feels pointless. It seems to have no actual thesis and just meanders from one example of stupidity to the next. The problem there is that it feels like Matt and Trey from South Park claiming "we just take swings at everyone", where it just feels like contrarianism for its own sake rather than communicating an actual idea.
This is further exacerbated by things like the section that made me realize this was a waste of time: An extended bulleted list (another not-actually-AI red flag) portraying things like "providing clean needles to reduce the spread of disease" as "stupid". While that would be a huge red flag that the author is a regressive fascist, a plague we're in the midst of right now, it doesn't quite jive with other opinions supposedly held by this author earlier in the text. I've never encountered anyone so politically inconsistent like this....except in nonsense crapped out by an LLM.
This is why I suspect this "author" didn't actually write this, because the text contradicts itself and seems to have no awareness of anything else that came before it. It reads like each section was written in a vacuum only unified by the vague idea of "humans are dumb".
The flimsy justification for the use of IQ, for example, feels like an LLM building a facade of rationale for using something anyone actually writing a legitimate book with this title would probably use as an example of how poorly humans understand the concept of intelligence in the first place (the very idea of objectively reducing such a complex concept to a single number is rightly derided, at least by actual scientists, in 2025, but an LLM can only use the materials its owners stole to train it, hence the plethora of junk "science").
If this was in fact written by a human, I can think of no more damning criticism than to say it feels like an LLM hallucination. The lack of consistency and the "style" is incredibly reminiscent of an edgelord 16 year old writing an essay for an english class and thinking their teacher's going to tell them this isn't acceptable so they can begin their crusade against the persecution of their unique genius.
You just don't write a book like this where all you seem to do is put disjointed, contradictory things in bulleted lists to point out humans do dumb things (even ignoring if those things listed are even valid or logical in any way). If a reader picked up a book with this title, odds are they agree with you, and you're preaching to the choir. It serves no purpose to simply restate the only idea your title conveys ad nauseum with endless "examples".
Such a circle-jerk is not only pointless, it's unfortunately the bread and butter of the lazy, opportunistic, talentless rabble in 2025. Sell a few copies to people who are uncritical of what they consume and agree with you and call it a win. If it isn't? I'm sorry this is the world we live in, but man you absolutely suck at writing nonfiction to the point that it makes me thinks this.
Makes me glad I didn't pay a cent for this trash.
October 2, 2025
Homo Idioticus: Why We Are Stupid and What to Do About It by Cezary Pietrasik
Cezary Pietrasik’s Homo Idioticus is a sharp, witty, and deeply thought-provoking exploration of one of the most paradoxical aspects of human existence: our simultaneous brilliance and stupidity. We are a species capable of decoding DNA, building rockets to Mars, and inventing democracy, yet we often make decisions that seem irrational, short-sighted, or downright self-destructive. Pietrasik sets out to answer a pressing question: why are we so often our own worst enemies, and—more importantly—what can we do about it?
The book is divided into three parts: How?, Why?, and What to Do About It?. This structure gives the narrative both clarity and momentum, guiding readers from recognition of the problem to possible solutions. In the first section, Pietrasik examines societal, political, and economic forces that perpetuate irrational behavior. From the influence of misinformation in the digital age to systemic failures in education and governance, he lays out a convincing argument that stupidity is not merely an individual flaw but often reinforced at the societal level.
The second section delves into the psychological, biological, and sociological roots of our idiocy. Here, Pietrasik demonstrates a keen understanding of human nature, weaving together evolutionary psychology, cognitive biases, and institutional inertia. He offers striking examples, such as widespread rejection of evolution despite overwhelming evidence, or the inability of many people to distinguish fact from opinion in an age dominated by social media. These anecdotes, peppered with both humor and frustration, make the reading experience not only enlightening but entertaining.
Where Homo Idioticus stands out most is in its third part: solutions. Pietrasik is not content with diagnosing the problem; he provides actionable strategies for improvement. These range from fostering critical thinking and strengthening education systems to reimagining how institutions incentivize rational decision-making. His message is ultimately optimistic—though humans are prone to folly, we are also capable of self-correction and growth. He stresses that if we recognize the traps of our own irrationality, we can design better systems and make smarter choices both individually and collectively.
The tone of the book strikes a careful balance between intellectual rigor and accessibility. Pietrasik writes with humor and energy, ensuring the heavy subject matter never feels overly academic. The statistics he cites—such as 10% of people using phones during sex or the steady decline of IQ scores—are both startling and effective in illustrating his points.
Ultimately, Homo Idioticus is more than a critique of human behavior; it is a call to action. It forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves while offering a roadmap toward greater clarity and wisdom. This book is a must-read for anyone curious about why humanity often sabotages itself—and hopeful about how we might build a smarter future.
Cezary Pietrasik’s Homo Idioticus is a sharp, witty, and deeply thought-provoking exploration of one of the most paradoxical aspects of human existence: our simultaneous brilliance and stupidity. We are a species capable of decoding DNA, building rockets to Mars, and inventing democracy, yet we often make decisions that seem irrational, short-sighted, or downright self-destructive. Pietrasik sets out to answer a pressing question: why are we so often our own worst enemies, and—more importantly—what can we do about it?
The book is divided into three parts: How?, Why?, and What to Do About It?. This structure gives the narrative both clarity and momentum, guiding readers from recognition of the problem to possible solutions. In the first section, Pietrasik examines societal, political, and economic forces that perpetuate irrational behavior. From the influence of misinformation in the digital age to systemic failures in education and governance, he lays out a convincing argument that stupidity is not merely an individual flaw but often reinforced at the societal level.
The second section delves into the psychological, biological, and sociological roots of our idiocy. Here, Pietrasik demonstrates a keen understanding of human nature, weaving together evolutionary psychology, cognitive biases, and institutional inertia. He offers striking examples, such as widespread rejection of evolution despite overwhelming evidence, or the inability of many people to distinguish fact from opinion in an age dominated by social media. These anecdotes, peppered with both humor and frustration, make the reading experience not only enlightening but entertaining.
Where Homo Idioticus stands out most is in its third part: solutions. Pietrasik is not content with diagnosing the problem; he provides actionable strategies for improvement. These range from fostering critical thinking and strengthening education systems to reimagining how institutions incentivize rational decision-making. His message is ultimately optimistic—though humans are prone to folly, we are also capable of self-correction and growth. He stresses that if we recognize the traps of our own irrationality, we can design better systems and make smarter choices both individually and collectively.
The tone of the book strikes a careful balance between intellectual rigor and accessibility. Pietrasik writes with humor and energy, ensuring the heavy subject matter never feels overly academic. The statistics he cites—such as 10% of people using phones during sex or the steady decline of IQ scores—are both startling and effective in illustrating his points.
Ultimately, Homo Idioticus is more than a critique of human behavior; it is a call to action. It forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves while offering a roadmap toward greater clarity and wisdom. This book is a must-read for anyone curious about why humanity often sabotages itself—and hopeful about how we might build a smarter future.
July 1, 2025
Smart, Funny, and a Little Too Real: A Must-Read...
Cezary Pietrasik’s Homo Idioticus is a wild ride through the paradoxes of human intelligence. With a mix of biting humor and sobering facts, Pietrasik pulls no punches—one minute you’re laughing at the absurdity of our everyday choices, the next you’re wincing at how closely they hit home. The book is packed with quirky stats and sharp anecdotes that make you question how we got so smart and yet, well, so clueless at the same time.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Pietrasik actually offers hope, laying out practical ways to outsmart our own worst instincts. The writing is brisk, clever, and never condescending. If you’re looking for a book that’s both entertaining and genuinely eye-opening, this one delivers. You’ll finish it a little wiser—and maybe just a bit more humble. Highly recommended.
Cezary Pietrasik’s Homo Idioticus is a wild ride through the paradoxes of human intelligence. With a mix of biting humor and sobering facts, Pietrasik pulls no punches—one minute you’re laughing at the absurdity of our everyday choices, the next you’re wincing at how closely they hit home. The book is packed with quirky stats and sharp anecdotes that make you question how we got so smart and yet, well, so clueless at the same time.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Pietrasik actually offers hope, laying out practical ways to outsmart our own worst instincts. The writing is brisk, clever, and never condescending. If you’re looking for a book that’s both entertaining and genuinely eye-opening, this one delivers. You’ll finish it a little wiser—and maybe just a bit more humble. Highly recommended.
July 7, 2025
I think I wanted more out of this book. It felt like more than half of the book is the "why" while the rest was on "what to do about it." I wish the "what to do about it" was expanded more. This book felt like a big introduction in pointing out what's wrong with the world and what we can do about it. I appreciate that it wasn't very "finger pointing" and "this is your fault" sentiment, but rather laying it all out and saying, "This is a problem y'all." It was in a very conversational tone and very accessible, but I don't know if the folks who need to read this will read it. It was good.
September 5, 2025
Whilst there is a lot to agree with, the choice of examples to show stupidity revealed the authors own biases. It was neither as witty as other reviews suggested nor well researched as it should have been. The lack of depth in the research meant there was little consideration of root cause of humanity’s stupidity. Shame it should have been a winner.
August 13, 2025
As a previous reviewer has stated, I wish more of the book was devoted to the What to Do About It than the Why. Otherwise it was a good read.
July 16, 2025
Cezary Pietrasik’s Homo Idioticus is a fearless exploration of human folly, exposing the psychological, social, and cultural forces that lead us to make staggeringly poor decisions, individually and collectively. With wit and intellectual rigour, Pietrasik examines why, despite our technological and scientific advancements, we remain prone to stupidity. The book moves seamlessly between history, science, and philosophy, offering memorable anecdotes and accessible insights that make you laugh, cringe, and reflect in equal measure.
What sets this book apart is its refusal to wallow in cynicism. Pietrasik doesn’t just diagnose the problem; he offers a roadmap for cultivating self-awareness, critical thinking, and humility in a noisy, polarized world. It’s both a mirror and a manual, challenging yet strangely comforting. If you enjoyed books like Sapiens or Thinking, Fast and Slow, this is a must-read. Be prepared to confront your own blind spots and emerge a little wiser.
What sets this book apart is its refusal to wallow in cynicism. Pietrasik doesn’t just diagnose the problem; he offers a roadmap for cultivating self-awareness, critical thinking, and humility in a noisy, polarized world. It’s both a mirror and a manual, challenging yet strangely comforting. If you enjoyed books like Sapiens or Thinking, Fast and Slow, this is a must-read. Be prepared to confront your own blind spots and emerge a little wiser.
July 12, 2025
Smart, interesting, funny and food for thought.
I was actually very impressed and loved the idea of teaching critical thinking in schools and the way Pietrasik presented it in the book. Specially when we're becoming more and more engulfed by artificial intelligence and fake news.
I was actually very impressed and loved the idea of teaching critical thinking in schools and the way Pietrasik presented it in the book. Specially when we're becoming more and more engulfed by artificial intelligence and fake news.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews