The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics)

“[Eric Hoffer] is a student of extraordinary perception and insight. The range of his reading and research is vast, amazing. [The True Believer is] one of the most provocative books of our immediate day.”—Christian Science Monitor

The famous bestseller with “concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement” (Wall St. Journal) by Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Eric Hoffer, The True Believer is a landmark in the field of social psychology, and even more relevant today than ever before in history. Called a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., The True Believer is mandatory reading for anyone interested in the machinations by which an individual becomes a fanatic.

Description

In our time, tribalism and extremism are on open display. Men and women have seemingly ceased to care about right or wrong. In many cases, a person is so convinced of the correctness of his or her position that he shuts his eyes and ears to any contrary evidence. These are the kinds of things Eric Hoffer observed, and then he presented his observations in this book. Sadly, we are again experiencing the resurgence of such patterns of behavior. It is therefore beyond academic interest to read this book and to understand the susceptibility of human beings to such words and actions.