How Not To Be Stupid: The Transformative Power of Independent Thinking

by Igor Sibaldi

From bestselling author and speaker, Igor Sibaldi, this is a new approach to understanding stupidity – why it seems to be all around us and how it gets in our way.

Why do world leaders repeat the mistakes of the past? How does a strong team end up making an obviously poor decision? Why does it sometimes feel like our phones are making us dumber?

In an overwhelming and chaotic world, we tend to attribute such behaviour to human stupidity, without thinking about what it really means or why even the smartest people sometimes behave in ‘stupid’ ways.

Through a series of powerful, practical exercises and a deep dive into twelve spheres of our everyday lives, including how we communicate, work and set goals, author and philosopher Igor Sibaldi shows you how

Challenge the social norms we take for grantedOvercome self-limiting fearsTurn obstacles into opportunities
Perfect for fans of The Psychology of Stupidity and Surrounded by Idiots, How Not To Be Stupid is a reflective guide to questioning our biases and arming ourselves against stupidity along the way.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2026

About the author

Igor Sibaldi (Milano, 1957) è uno scrittore, slavista, drammaturgo e traduttore, nato da padre italiano e madre russa.
Si è laureato all'Università Statale di Milano nel 1981 in lingue e letterature slave.
È studioso di teologia, filologia, filosofia e storia delle religioni ed è autore di opere sulle sacre scritture oltre che di narrativa e teatro.
Negli anni Ottanta e Novanta ha tradotto varie opere di letteratura russa, in particolare romanzi e racconti di Tolstoj e di Dostoevskij, dedicandovi monografie e saggi introduttivi; in seguito ha tradotto il Vangelo di Giovanni dal greco antico nel volume Il codice segreto del Vangelo e parte della Genesi dall'ebraico antico nel volume Il libro della Creazione.
Sibaldi ha creato il proprio pensiero sulla base delle filosofie di Fedor Dostoevskij, Lev Tolstoj, Carl Gustav Jung, Eraclito, Carlos Castaneda, Theodor Adorno, Hegel, Sigmund Freud e la Bibbia. Nella sua visione, l'uomo deve recuperare la propria dimensione ed il proprio "Io" e gli angeli, intesi come emanazioni dell'inconscio, spingono l'essere umano alla scoperta di questa realtà.

Reviews

[Librow0rm Christine]

‘new role in completely new environment, I’m feeling very open to new ideas, opportunities and areas of exploration, including books!

This is where I’m convinced that Bookbreak UK (Macmillan,) must have psychic powers as ‘How Not To Be Stupid’ by Igor Sibaldi flew through my letterbox, landing in my hallway with a distinct sharp thump!

How Not To Be Stupid is NOT a self-help book but, it is a short, sharp education or reminder that being a sheep and following the crowd isn’t always the brightest thing to do, and often has results that are the complete opposite of what you actually wanted or believed should happen!

What Sibaldi does is challenge your thinking. He takes the social and dictionary definition of the word ‘stupid’ and takes it further, examining common language, and resulting behaviours. He then moves on to structuring stupidity into 12 psychological functions where people can either completely freeze or be totally brilliant, rather than being what societally has been called stupid.

For me the best part of this book was when Sibaldi then brings to life the connections between stupidity and social conformity, the digital space were particularly interesting to me. The impact of algorithms and herd mentality and morality, are truly brought to life and for me triggered serious introspection and thought around my own behaviours and just how easy it is to act on autopilot and mistake conformity for clarity.

I will say again that this is not a self-help book but, it is a short and concise, social philosophy discussion that will fire up your brain and get you thinking.

Thank you so much Macmillan for sharing the published copy with me in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

[Joseph Greene]

I did not enjoy this book. I found it abstract and self-indulgent, which is odd because I normally enjoy a more philosophical style. I had a hard time following the author's train of thought as well as understanding the practical advice.

I found some insight in the section regarding the fear of the fear of fear, but, other than that, the book didn't leave me with any strong takeaways.