The Problem with Stupid: Ignorance, Intellectuals, Post-Truth and Resistance

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.

Author: Tom Grimwood
Publisher: Zero Books
Published: 06/01/2023
Pages: 168
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.40d
ISBN13: 9781803410760
ISBN10: 1803410760
BISAC Categories:
- Art | Art & Politics
- Philosophy | Criticism
- Political Science | History & Theory | General

About the 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.