The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1St Edition Free Download

FREE THE TRUE BELIEVER THOUGHTS ON THE NATURE OF MASS MOVEMENTS 1ST EDITION PDF

The author of ten books, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in It is widely considered a classic. This book deals with some peculiarities common to all mass movements, be they religious movements, social revolutions or nationalist movements. It does not maintain that all movements are identical, but that they share certain essential characteristics which give them a family likeness. All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action; all of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance; all of them are capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments of life; all of them demand blind faith and single-hearted allegiance …. The book passes no judgments, and expresses no preferences. It merely tries to explain… pp. Hoffer says that mass movements begin when discontented, frustrated, powerless people lose faith in existing The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition and demand change. The destitute are not usually converts to mass movements; they are too busy trying to survive to become engaged. Such people are resentful and blame others for their problems. Others include misfits, outcasts, adolescents, and sinners, as well as the ambitious, selfish, impotent, and bored. What all converts all share is the feeling that their lives are meaningless and worthless. A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness, and meaninglessness of an individual existence. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring on them an absolute truth or remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves—and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole. Creativity provides inner joy which both acts as an antidote to the frustrations with external hardships. Creativity also relieves boredom, a major cause of mass movements:. In almost all the descriptions of the periods preceding the rise of mass movements there is reference to vast ennui; and in their earliest stages mass movements are more likely to find sympathizers and support among the bored than among the exploited and oppressed. To a deliberate fomenter of mass upheavals, the report that people are bored still should be at least as encouraging as that they are suffering from intolerable economic or political The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition. Such delight cannot come from the mere venting of a grievance. There must be something more—and there is. By expiating upon the incurable baseness and vileness of the times, the frustrated soften their feeling of failure and isolation … p. One has to get to heaven or the distant future to determine the truth of an effective doctrine … simple words are made pregnant with meaning and made to look like symbols in a secret message. There is thus an illiterate air about the most literate true believer. Then fanatics take over. Instead, they are characterized by viciousness, the urge to destroy, and the perpetual struggle for power. But after mass movements transform the social order, the insecurity of their followers is not ameliorated. In the end mass movements that succeed often bring about a social order worse than the previous one. Is this what Trump meant when he said he could shoot someone in public and his supporters would stay loyal? You are correct. A lack of self-awareness is the root of much evil. The belief that such evil falls The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition partisan lines is outright delusion. As one who escaped the mindset in adolescence, it is continually embarrassing to me to watch grown men regularly and repeatedly fall into this patently obvious trap. It simply hurts too much, and there is almost no incentive. I will continue to observe with emotionally detached bemusement. Notice how the author of this review can see True Believers in a right wing cause while he ignores those in left wing causes. This is the opposite of Eric Hoffer, who cited left wing movements like Communism as well as right wing movements like the rise of Oliver Cromwell, because Hoffer wrote objectively about mass movements. Right on. We have a huge problem with fascism and cultism. Trump is the cause and his demise is anticipated with glee. Per Hoffer, it would seem the modern conservative or classical liberal American is the opposite of the true believer TB and collective minded politico. The very root of American philosophy is The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition individual, not the collective; to cherish freedom; to embrace the common man, and to be wary of the intellectual elites. Perhaps this is why a common man such as myself reads Hoffer differently than an intellectual academic with a doctorate degree of true beliefs? Those who could not thrive when left to themselves never felt at ease in America. If one wishes to make this a political discussion rather than philosophical, one may want to take note of just who these days is requiring people to get down on their knees. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Part 2 — The Potential Converts The destitute are not usually converts to mass movements; they are too busy trying to survive to become engaged. Take a second to support Dr John Messerly on Patreon! Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. The True Believer Quotes by Eric Hoffer

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer -- the first and most famous of his books -- was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences. Completely relevant and essential for unders A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. Completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today, The True Believer is a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Original Title. California Book Award for Nonfiction Gold Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The True Believerplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Feb 13, Mike rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: everyone. Shelves: favoriteswhy-trump-wonthesfailed-visionary-cults. So you've decided to start your own cult or mass movement. Just remember that it's not all fun and games- there's a good deal of planning and work involved. You'd be well-advised to read Eric Hoffer's The True Believer in full before you do anything, but here, as I understand them, are a few of his main points: First of all, somewhat counter-intuitively, the contents of your platform or doctrine are almost irrelevant. Whatever you do, don't wrack your brain or search your soul for legi So you've decided to start your own cult or mass movement. Whatever you do, don't wrack your brain or search your soul for legitimate solutions to people's problems- complete waste of time. Remember that the primary motivation most people have for joining the movement is found within themselves more on this in the next paragraph. You will need a story, of course, but its basic requirements are that it a illustrates or reinforces that the present is intolerable, and b promises great success, even a utopia, in the far, distant future. The vaguer and more nebulous this promise, the less concrete modern example: "make America great again"the better. As Hoffer writes, It makes the present a The followers Remember that people generally do not join because of the rightness or wrongness of your cause. They join, rather, to forget their individual existences. Hoffer is describing what he believes is a certain psychological type Their innermost The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition is for a new life- a rebirth- or As individuals they feel themselves to be failures, but in a group they can ascribe to their lives purpose and meaning, even if it is only in "the eyes of posterity. Instead, keep in mind that the seed of belief is this inner desperation to lose one's self in a holy cause. The playing field is emotion, not reason, and the vitality of the movement ultimately depends on its ability to foster cohesion, unity, the sense of being part of a tribe. Establish this, and it doesn't matter how self-evidently absurd your movement's core beliefs are see: Scientology ; perhaps their absurdity is even part of your movement's test of loyalty and faith. Those who desire this sense of communion, and taste it just once, may never again be able to live without it. Hoffer writes, It is doubtful whether the fanatic who deserts his holy cause or is suddenly left without one can ever adjust He remains a homeless hitch hiker on the highways of the world thumbing a ride on any eternal cause that rolls by He is even ready to join Though his single- minded dedication is a holding on for dear life, he easily sees himself as the supporter The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition defender of the holy cause to which he clings He cannot be weaned away from his cause by an appeal to his reason or moral sense. But he finds no difficulty in swinging suddenly and wildly from one holy cause to another. He cannot be convinced but only converted. Propaganda should also be The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition with this in mind; it doesn't persuade anyone who doesn't want, on some level, to be persuaded. As Hoffer writes, "rather than instill opinion it [propaganda] articulates and justifies opinions already present in the minds of its recipients Take it from no less an authority than Joseph Goebbels, who apparently once said, "a sharp sword must always stand behind propaganda if it is to be really effective. Likewise the fomenting of suspicion among your followers, which brings us to The Enemy. Yes, you're going to need an enemy. Perhaps you already have one selected, in which case you're ahead of the game. But this enemy, the indispensable devil of every mass movement- is omnipresent. He plots both outside and inside the ranks of the faithful. It is his voice that speaks through the mouth of the dissenter If anything goes wrong within the movement, The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition is his doing. As Hitler said, apparently in an unguarded moment, "if the Jew did not exist, we would have had to invent him. If you have to ask, you still have a lot to learn. They do this by claiming that the The fanatical Communist refuses to believe any unfavorable report or evidence about Russia, nor will he be disillusioned by seeing with his own eyes the cruel misery there The "fact-proof screen" The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition of course another way to instill unity and cohesion. Outside influence reminds your followers that there are perhaps justifiable opinions and beliefs that counter those your movement teaches; such opinions must always be characterized as dissent, heresy, samizdat"the dishonest media", etc. According to Hoffer, the Nazis and Communists strangely, or maybe not so strangely, often looked to the ranks of their enemy for potential converts. Hitler looked on the German communists as potential National Socialists Maybe they sensed, intuitively, that psychologically they were the same, placed only by circumstance on opposing sides. And oh yes- eventually you're going to need a leader. There's no need to search the ends of the earth for someone of " Now don't screw it up. It was sometime after the Soviets had turned the tide of the war at Stalingrad, I once read, that it became common for Germans to start rolling their eyes or responding with obscenities to colleagues on the street who would greet them with the customary salute. I think it has to do with the second-to-last quality quoted above: "a capacity for winning. This, as I see it, is the one thing that will turn your followers against you. So just be sure to never lose- and if you do, for god's sake cover it up. Once your followers see what a fraud you are View all 20 comments. Dec 08, Larry rated it it was amazing. At this point mybest guess is that I read this around It was a clear and incisive look at the people who believe as a matter of faith and not as a matter of logic or fact. What is more amazing is that the author was a longshoreman who had no formal education beyond high school. Reading his insights was my first understanding of the workings of the minds of irrational people. The principles of mass irrationality apply to religion, 2 on my list of the ten most influential books in my life. The principles of mass irrationality apply to religion, politics and most other group behavior of human beings. While it is usually incomprehensible to rational actors Mr. Hoffer's book always comes to mind when I need to grasp the motivation of certain groups. His ideas are as certain today as The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition were when I first encountered them over 40 years ago. Summary of Eric Hoffer’s, The True Believer | Reason and Meaning

See more about this book on Archive. The author uses examples of movements of all types from the past, as well as movements that were current when the book was written; and discusses in great detail many techniques used to form and hold them together, the many motives that draw people to them, and the similarities between movements that appear on the surface to be completely different in nature e. The book is well referenced, and uses quotes from secular and religious writings the Bible, too associated with mass movements past and the author's present. Previews available in: English. Add another edition? Learn about the virtual Library Leaders Forum happening this month. The True Believer Eric Hoffer. Want to Read. Download for print-disabled. Check nearby libraries Library. Share this book Facebook. Last edited by Clean Up Bot. July 27, History. Subjects communismreactionarymass movementsextremismradicalblind faithfascismSocial participationsociologyfundamentalismSocial psychologySocial groupsLong Now Manual for CivilizationSocial groups. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movements Not in Library. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movementsPerennial Library. Borrow Listen. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movementsTime-Life Books. Check Availability. Paperback in English - Reissue The True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st edition. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movementsHarper and Row. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movementsTime Inc. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movements. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movementsThe New American Library. The true believer: thoughts on the nature of mass movements Publisher unknown. The True Believer:Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements First published in Subjects communismreactionarymass movementsextremismradicalblind faithThe True Believer Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements 1st editionSocial participationsociologyfundamentalismSocial psychologySocial groupsLong Now Manual for CivilizationSocial groups. Times pastpresent and future. Lists containing this Book books I want to read from hepcat Psych. Loading Related Books. July 27, Edited by Clean Up Bot. February 13, July 7, June 30, December 9, Created by WorkBot.