The word "idiot" has its origins in ancient Greece; "idiotes" meant a "private citizen" who did not take part in public/political life and concerned himself only with private affairs. These people were seen as self-centered and dishonorable.
The Idiot is a member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling.
The Idiot is not to be railed against too obsessively, for by dint of railing at idiots, one runs the risk of becoming an idiot oneself.