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An idiot, in modern use, is a stupid or foolish person. 'Idiot' was formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for some kinds of profound intellectual disability where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot guard themself against common physical dangers.
The term useful idiot, for a foolish person whose views can be taken advantage of for political purposes, was used in a British periodical as early as 1864. [3] In relation to the Cold War, the term appeared in a June 1948 New York Times article on contemporary Italian politics ("Communist shift is seen in Europe"), [1] citing the Italian Democratic Socialist Party's newspaper L'Umanità []. [4]
Definition Stupidity is a quality or state of being stupid, or an act or idea that exhibits properties of being stupid. [ 4 ] In a character study of "The Stupid Man" attributed to the Greek philosopher Theophrastus (c. 371 – c. 287 BC), stupidity was defined as "mental slowness in speech or action".
The term "village idiot" is also used as a stereotype of the mentally disabled. [1] It has also been applied as an epithet for an unrealistically optimistic or naive individual. [2] The village idiot was long considered an acceptable social role, a unique individual who was dependent yet contributed to the social fabric of their community. [3]
While the term "idiot" is, in the present day, not used in a medical, legal or psychiatric context, instead meaning a stupid or foolish person, the term previously held meaning as a technical term used in both legal and psychiatric contexts for some type of profound intellectual disability, wherein the disabled person's mental age was considered to be two years or less.
Moron is a term once used in psychology and psychiatry to denote mild intellectual disability. [1] The term was closely tied with the American eugenics movement. [2] Once the term became popularized, it fell out of use by the psychological community, as it was used more commonly as an insult than as a psychological term.
About Wikipedia; Contact us; Contribute Help; Learn to edit; Community portal; ... An idiot is a stupid or foolish person. Idiot may also refer to: Idiot ...
Much like today's socially acceptable terms idiot and moron, which are also defined as some sort of mental disability, when the term retard is being used in its pejorative form, it is usually not being directed at people with mental disabilities. Instead, people use the term when teasing their friends or as a general insult.