A 1976 essay as a prediction.

Carlo Cipolla laid out his framework for human behaviour in a 1976 essay, The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity. It reads better every year. We live in an era where the appearance of intelligence is easy to manufacture, with enough show, money and ego to furnish it. Behaviour that creates real value for the individual and for everyone else has become the rare thing.

Two forces brought us here. Removing friction wastes the capacities that friction built. And presence collapsed: constant distraction, ego, and thinking handed to somebody else. So we run, and we swallow the lip service of politicians and corporations whose interest lies in keeping us exactly where we are.

I believe in the power of true human intelligence. It reaches far beyond the commonly accepted IQ.

The book draws on Cipolla, the Roman Stoics, OECD research, and thirty years of reading and watching how people actually behave under pressure. A call to attention. A practical argument for reclaiming what we are quietly giving away.

The Fence Climber arrives in 2027.