"It is astonishing how foolish humans can be in groups, especially when they follow their leader without question"

A warning about how easily individual judgment can be surrendered to collective momentum. People are often more cautious and discerning on their own, yet in groups they outsource thinking to a focal figure and to the crowd’s apparent consensus. The psychological currents are strong: conformity pressures, obedience to authority, diffusion of responsibility, and emotional contagion create a powerful undertow that pulls reason under. The phrase “without question” signals the critical failure point, not leadership itself, but the suspension of skepticism that turns followers into amplifiers.

The dynamic is seductive because it offers relief from uncertainty. A confident leader provides clarity, identity, and belonging. The group returns the favor with loyalty, applause, and the illusion of unanimity. Once dissent is stigmatized, errors compound. Risky choices look safe because everyone else seems on board; unethical moves feel justified because the cause feels righteous. This pattern is not confined to politics; it appears in boardrooms chasing fads, startups idolizing founders, fan communities policing purity, and online swarms propelled by likes and outrage.

The irony is that collective intelligence depends on disagreement. Diversity of view, friction, and careful challenge are the mechanisms that turn many minds into a better mind. When a leader discourages questions, the group’s greatest asset becomes its liability. Healthy leadership invites scrutiny, welcomes “red teams,” and treats dissent as a service. Healthy followership insists on evidence, asks how the plan could fail, and keeps allegiance to principles over personalities.

Practical guardrails help: slow decisions that feel exhilarating, seek disconfirming data, rotate a devil’s advocate, encourage anonymous feedback, and measure outcomes rather than rhetoric. Courage matters more than cleverness, the willingness to be the lone hand raised. Human groups can be wise, but only when loyalty is tethered to truth and authority is balanced by inquiry.