If literally everyone were stupid in the sense of the essay, society would crumble very quickly. It is doubtful that anyone sophisticated enough to understand

If literally everyone were stupid in the sense of the essay, society would crumble very quickly. It is doubtful that anyone sophisticated enough to understand such a definition of stupidity would fail to understand this implication. On the other hand, I have many friends who see stupidity everywhere, and who recognize it as an inveterate condition of our species. They are not openly contemptuous of everything (for that would serve no one) but they are sober, sensible, and harmless. They are not stupid.