Fundamental Laws of Human Stupidity

For the first time, the laws of human stupidity are wittily and elegantly formulated — a phenomenon as powerful and eternal as natural phenomena. Are there fools among Nobel laureates, how does a fool differ from a bandit, what is... the damage that a fool inflicts on the common cause, how many fools are there in the population, how to recognize and neutralize their "dark power" — the answers to these pressing questions can be found in the magnificent work of economic historian Carlo Cipolla. At the same time, "this booklet is by no means a product of cynicism or an exercise in defeatism," as it is full of humor or sarcasm, quite scientific, and enjoys success among readers worldwide. Also, for the first time in one volume in Russian, the essay "Pepper, Wine, and Wool" is published — a vivid and very compact analysis of how things we perceive as long familiar and ordinary played a truly revolutionary role in the history of medieval Europe.