The Problem with Stupid
ignorance, intellectuals, post-truth and resistance
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In the past two decades, the rise of a particular commonplace in public debate has emerged on both the Left and the Right: the threat of 'the stupid.' Far from a throwaway ad hominem, stupidity has become a key trope for both explaining and criticising the election results, culture wars and the advances of post-truth. But how do we negotiate 'the stupid' in a meaningful way? Does critique and resistance depend on the mobilisation of intellect, and what does the prevalence of stupidity as a commonplace suggest about the risks of such a mobilisation? What are the resources to work through it outside of condemnation or insult? Taking 'the stupid' as a primary figure in today's cultural rhetoric, Tom Grimwood uses internet memes, film and media, alongside philosophical inquiry, to present a series of interventions in the assumptions of what makes 'the stupid' dangerous and how to move beyond these assumptions into effective resistance.
About this Author
Tom Grimwood is Professor of Social Philosophy at the University of Cumbria, UK. His previous books include The Shock of the Same: An Antiphilosophy of Cliches, Key Debates in Social Work and Philosophy, and Irony, Misogyny and Interpretation. He lives in Lancaster, UK.
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