Professor Jonny Thomson is a writer, philosopher, and former Oxford professor. He has an educational Facebook channel (mini philosophy), where he asks challenging questions and looks into them, step by step, from the ground up, introducing philosophical concepts in plain language.
He also has a YouTube channel where he does deep dives:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD2eYNCY8wWVpR0ps6O22aA
Sister Magdalena recently presented Prof. Tomson‘s YouTube video at our sunrise staff meeting (the embedded video appears at the bottom of today’s blott).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Before we dive into today’s topic, we’d like to introduce a remarkable man: Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a true hero, a man of courage and conscience. We plan to explore his life, moral convictions, and the historical times he lived in, in a future blott. But for now, here is a brief introduction:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945). Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and writer who lived during the rise of Nazi Germany. As increasing numbers of Protestant churches aligned themselves with Adolf Hitler’s regime, Bonhoeffer became part of the small Confessing Church movement that resisted government control of Christianity and spoke out against injustice. His opposition eventually led to his imprisonment and execution just weeks before the end of World War II. While in prison, he reflected deeply on why ordinary, intelligent people could become caught up in destructive movements, and his observations continue to challenge readers nearly eighty years later.
– Elder G
Keep it Stupid, Stupid
Prof. Thomson begins his talk with the concept of “stupid”. He’s not using the term in the modern pejorative sense, but based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer‘s definition. His use of the word stupidity is technical, almost philosophical. He’s trying to describe a failure of moral independence, not a lack of IQ. Keeping that discussion separate lets us engage with the topic without “name calling”.
Bonhoeffer claims stupidity is a greater problem than evil because evil is a known threat with clear malice. When evil is explicit—like Sauron in Lord of the Rings, or real-world serial killers and genocidal tyrants—the good of the world can recognize it, rally together, and resist. Bonhoeffer noted that evil contains the seeds of its own subversion because once identified, people gather to fight it.
Stupidity, however, presents two major problems:
Transcript of Jonny Thomson’s YouTube Video
- Society is far more tolerant of it: When someone insists on staying ignorant, we often brush it off: “Oh, that’s just how they are.” We accept it.
- It is far harder to identify: Real-world evil can be exposed. In the UK, when Jimmy Savile was exposed in 2012, or Harvey Weinstein in 2017, or the recent release of the Epstein files, society and the justice system rallied to confront explicit evil.
Prof. Thomson synthesizes various philosophies (primarily Dietrich Bonhoeffer) and defines stupidity.
Here’s a summary from Prof. Thomson’s video:
Outsourcing critical thinking: This occurs when we hand our thinking over to a third party—a teacher, parent, social media influencer, or technology.
Willful ignorance: While ignorance itself isn’t stupidity, being continuously ignorant and taking no steps to resolve it is stupidity.
Conformity: […] In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche devotes a chapter to truth, arguing that philosophers often become obsessed with truth having intrinsic value. But looking at human history, people often care less about truth than about loyalty and identity. […] It’s associating belief with identity, treating rival positions as a test of faith or temptation. When we conform to groupthink, we surrender our critical thinking and offload it to someone else.
Transcript of Jonny Thomson’s YouTube Video (edited)
Aztec Decision Circle
In their 2018 book How Democracies Die, Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt identified key factors in democratic collapse: the abuse of power and the delegitimization of opposition (labeling opponents as evil or demonic).
Institutions and corporations fail when leaders make decisions without consultation. We must foster a culture of debate. Aztec philosophy featured a concept called the Aztec Decision Circle. When facing a tough decision, an individual consulted a circle of trusted friends and relatives who were explicitly expected to offer dissent and alternative views. As philosopher Sebastian Purcell noted: “The wise do not think for themselves.”
Transcript of Jonny Thomson’s YouTube Video
You Don’t Have to Have an Opinion about Everything!
It is so tedious… everyone has an opinion on everything. Shallow opinions about very complex subjects: global warming, fundamental science, politics, and on and on.
Finally, we can learn from the ancient Greek Pyrrhonian skeptics, who sought ataraxia (unshakeable tranquility). They claimed much mental distress disappears when you get comfortable saying three simple words: “I don’t know.”
Admitting you don’t know enough to hold a firm stance is a courageous act. It grants others permission to do the same, pushing back against bullshit. To counter the threats Bonhoeffer and Aristotle warned about, we must cultivate the courage to say “I don’t know,” while refusing to tolerate willful, comfortable ignorance.
Transcript of Jonny Thomson’s YouTube Video
“I don’t know” – this is so refreshing, because it seems that we live in a world where everyone has an opinion about everything, and the more uninformed and pig-headed people are, the stronger their opinion.
An old engineer’s joke: Every problem has a solution that is simple, elegant… and wrong.
WLBOTT’s Official Policy
The Official WLBOTT Rule of Intellectual Humility
Before expressing a strong opinion, ask yourself:
“Have I spent at least five minutes learning about this?”
If not, another cup of coffee is recommended.
Semi-Sequitur: Elder G Behind the Curtain
It is refreshing to see Elder G make a mistake and show her/his human side.
Note that this “I don’t know” strategy can not be applied in all situations. I think I speak for all Bev’s out there – make up your mind! It’s just lunch!
There are other inappropriate situations.
…. and every non-profit I’ve ever volunteered with…
[ed. note: while doing time at a large 3 initial corporation, a corporation that refused to take a stance on any social issue, my colleagues and I had a spirited debated over whether the company would publicly be against nuclear war. We could not reach a conclusion.]
With the help of our AI Companions, we have identified the following groups and individuals as having no opinion.
