The great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers a useful observation:
Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leave behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall of deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed… For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than a malicious one.
