TEXTO DE APOIO (clique para abrir / fechar)
The theory of stupidity
(Historical Note: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 4, 1906 – April 9, 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident. He was executed in Flossenbürg concentration camp by hanging [enforcamento] at dawn, one month before Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, ending World War II in Europe. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential.)
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 the use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ [semente, origem] of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in other human beings at least a sense of unease [inquietação]. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here. Reasons fall on deaf ears. Facts that contradict a stupid person’s prejudgment simply need not be believed and when they are irrefutable, they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this, the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.
For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. If we want to know how to get the better of [derrotar, superar] stupidity, we must seek to understand its nature.
This much is certain, stupidity is in essence not an intellectual defect but a moral one. There are human beings who are remarkably agile intellectually yet stupid, and others who are intellectually dull yet anything but stupid. The impression one gains is not so much that stupidity is a congenital defect but that, under certain circumstances, people are made stupid or, rather, they allow this to happen to them.
People who live in solitude manifest this defect less frequently than individuals in groups. Thus, it would seem that stupidity is perhaps less a psychological than a sociological problem.
QUESTÃO
According to the information in the passage, which of the following most likely helps to explain why the author considers stupidity more dangerous than malice?
As stupidity is more common than malice, it constitutes a greater and more prevalent threat to society.
A malicious person can be identified and successfully confronted, but a stupid person resists reasons and facts.
Malice is easily recognized, avoided, and even subverted, whereas stupidity at first appears to be merely innocuous.
Despite appearances, stupid people are often more intelligent than malicious ones and thus are harder to defeat.
A malicious person knows when to stop, but a stupid person will, without thinking, go to his or her own destruction.
🔐 Gabarito (clique para revelar)
🧠 QUESTÃO COMENTADA — PADRÃO B3GE™ — Língua Inglesa | Questão 31
🧭 Leitura orientada
A questão pede compreender por que o autor considera a estupidez mais perigosa do que a maldade. Assim, é necessário identificar o argumento comparativo central que estrutura o texto.
🔍 Identificação do foco argumentativo
O texto afirma que a maldade pode ser reconhecida, enfrentada e até interrompida, pois tende a provocar resistência e reação social. Já a estupidez caracteriza-se pela rejeição sistemática da razão e dos fatos, mesmo quando estes são claramente demonstrados.
🧠 Núcleo de sentido
A estupidez é considerada mais perigosa porque não pode ser combatida por meios racionais. O indivíduo estúpido ignora evidências, rejeita argumentos e se torna agressivo, o que inviabiliza sua correção e amplia seu impacto social negativo.
🔍 Análise alternativa por alternativa (com pegadinhas)
(A) ❌ Errada
Pegadinha: o texto não afirma que a estupidez
seja mais comum que a maldade,
apenas que é mais perigosa.
(B) ✅ Correta — GABARITO
A alternativa resume com precisão o argumento do autor:
pessoas maliciosas podem ser identificadas e confrontadas,
enquanto pessoas estúpidas
resistem a fatos e razões,
tornando-se mais difíceis — e perigosas — de enfrentar.
(C) ❌ Errada
Pegadinha: o texto não afirma que a estupidez
pareça inicialmente inofensiva.
(D) ❌ Errada
Pegadinha: o autor afirma explicitamente
que estupidez não está ligada ao nível de inteligência.
(E) ❌ Errada
Pegadinha: não há no texto a ideia
de autodestruição consciente ou de “saber parar”.
🧠 Resumo B3GE™ Master
✔ Maldade pode ser identificada e combatida.
✔ Estupidez rejeita fatos e argumentos racionais.
✔ Por isso, a estupidez é considerada mais perigosa.
🔎 Gabarito confirmado: (B)