Appearance
The true believer: Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
I first read this in college, back in 1963 in the midst of the civil rights movement. I did not realize at the time that we would then go into Vietnam and that mass movements and the birth control pill would change the moral and political landscape as it did. I did realize, however, that post war prosperity created new possibilities. Somehow, all the stuff that was going on seemed to be related to that. This book reflects the thinking of a remarkable man who was in the midst of the US Labor Union's response to the emergence of the Post WWII age of Progress and Prosperity. The days in which he worked as a Union Organizer were vastly different than The Great Depression and the rise of Nazism and Communism, but people remained the same. So he mined the experience of the previous generation in order to understand his. We live an a time of the rise of Asia and the reemergence of Islam as a world economic and political force. Global prosperity is creating new mass movements. The world that is coming is different than the world of the cold war, but people are the same. So I am looking again at this man's insights. "Frustration breeds mass movements" according to Hoffer. Well, there certainly is plenty of that around. .
The true believer: Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
Eric Hoffer offers a penetrating and deeply troubling insight into the psychology of those who allow themselves to fall under the spell of fanatical mass movements --- something to which we are all prone to a greater or lesser extent. At several points, though, I feel Hoffer could have showed greater sensitivity. I simply cannot recognize Hoffer's blanket characterization of Christianity as a mass movement, although there are pathological manifestations of 'religion' with exactly this character. Hoffer wouldn't be the first writer that failed to make the crucial distinction between true religion and organized neurosis. But this at least throws the reader a challenge: Hoffer should make us think very carefully about our motivations for what we 'truly believe'.
The true believer: Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
Following the horrific tragedy at Fort Hood, I felt the need to better understand the mind set of a fanatic (or a true believer) The book by Eric Hoffer offers many insights and has answered many of my questions.
The true believer: Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
This is a very good book for anyone wanting to know why people follow mass movements or if they want to try and start a mass movement!
The true believer: Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
Hoffer expands on Macchiavelli's pragmatic exploration of political power in terms of both nuance and moral responsibility. The result is a masterpiece which will change the way you view the world around you. Indeed, his examination of such cliched morality play fare such as the Nazis and the early Christians comes off as fresh and original.Like the other reviewers (and, in fact, Hoffer himself), I recommend that you read this with a critical eye, as its implications are elemental and Hoffer's later actions are less than confidence-inspiring. Nonetheless, I do recommend that you read it!
The true believer: Thoughts on the nature of mass movements (Time reading program special edition)
This book was written more or less in the Vietnam era by a Longshoreman who was a self-styled conservative philosopher. Hoffer was turned off by the left-wing fanatacism of that time. This was the era in which Maoism was fashionable among a few western academics who, unlike their Chinese counterparts, did not have to do cultural duty on pig farms and in rice fields.Hoffer is, however, up to date. His argument is not about left-wing fanatacism in particular, but instead discusses the causes of fanatacism in general. The book may help you somewhat to understand the tendency of internally-unhappy people toward extremist movements of all stripes, whether fascist, communist, El Quaida, the Taliban, the Christian Coalition, neo-conservative, or others. Citizens who are wondering why America is where it is today might profit a bit from reading The True Believer.