Ponerology
FREE Interactive Book Summary - Political Ponerology: The Science of Evil, Psychopathy and the Origins of Totalitarianism.
In a civilization deficient in psychological knowledge, hyperactive individuals driven by an inner angst caused by a feeling of being different easily find a ready echo in other people’s insufficiently developed consciousness. Such individuals dream of imposing their power and their different experiential manner upon their environment and their society. Unfortunately, in a psychologically ignorant society, their dreams to impose on societies their own, different way of experiencing and conceptualizing, and then, their power, still stand a chance of being accomplished. - Andrew Lobaczewski
The only constant value of the new social system was the magic number of 6%.
I first came across Political Ponerology when Shellenberger mentioned it in his podcast with Peterson about WPATH.
The WPATH Files - Lies are Unbekoming (substack.com)
8. What parallels do Shellenberger and Peterson draw between the spread of trans ideology and the rise of totalitarian regimes historically?
Shellenberger references the book "Political Ponerology" which identifies the rise of totalitarianism with the takeover of institutions by narcissists and psychopaths who manipulate through deception and bullying. The charismatic "spellbinders" (trans activists) engage in emotional manipulation while the bullies (like Antifa) attack anyone who questions the narrative.
Peterson notes how the ideology advances through manipulating compassion, vilifying dissenters as oppressors/Nazis, and forcing people to ignore clear discrepancies out of disbelief and fear. As with historical totalitarian movements, blatant untruths are pushed as truth by a coordinated faction that has infiltrated the institutions.
Psychopathy is the missing component part of virtually all models that try to understand the modern world.
Ruling Psychopaths create Pathocracy.
Lobaczewski’s work is vital if for nothing else than it gives us language to describe the current framework’s that rule us.
As you will see, we are lucky to have this book. It took three separate written attempts to get it to us.
It certainly helps with understanding the last 4 years.
But for me it goes much further than that.
Isn’t the institution of Vaccination™ a Pathocracy?
How about the institution of Cancer™?
How about the Food Cartel?
Or can I say that Big Anything™, that captures everything, by definition ends up being a Pathocracy?
Is the competence hierarchy of these Cartels primarily of Psychopathy?
The best Psychopaths go the furthest.
When I refer to the Nature of Cartel Medicine being predatory, am I not describing the Pathocracy and its fractal nature.
Finally, on the macrosocial level, an active nucleus of such individuals has a similar effect on an entire population. Such dynamics repeat, fractal-like, at all levels. A tyrant at the top is mirrored by tyrants at the bottom, enforcing pathological norms, punishing dissent, and rewarding those who best adapt to the new system. The majority only comply reluctantly, adapting to life at the cost of deformations to their own conscience. - Harrison Koehli
Political Ponerology is a very important book.
It’s not an easy read.
I’d like to do my bit to make it more accessible and broaden its reach.
I’m including an excellent Foreword by Michael Rectenwald and a summary of an excellent Introduction by Editor Harrison Koehli.
With thanks to Andrew Lobaczewski.
Three principal heterogeneous items coincided in order to form our European civilization: Greek philosophy, Roman imperial and legal civilization, and Christianity, consolidated by time and the efforts of later generations. The culture, or cognitive/spiritual heritage, thus born was internally incoherent; the philosophically young language of concepts—barely detached from natural human concepts, or overly attached to the needs of law and materialism—turned out to be too rigid to comprehend aspects of psychological and spiritual life.
Such a state of affairs had negative repercussions upon our ability to comprehend reality, especially that reality which concerns humanity and society. Europeans became unwilling to study reality (subordinating intellect to facts), instead tending to impose upon nature their own extrinsic ideological schemes, not completely coherent and often subjective. Not until modern times, thanks to great developments in the hard sciences, which study facts by their very nature, as well as the apperception of the philosophical heritage of other cultures, could we help clarify our world of concepts and permit its own homogenization. - Andrew Lobaczewski
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Lobaczewski (1921–2007) grew up on a rural estate in the beautiful piedmountain region of Poland. During the Nazi occupation he worked on the farm and as an apiarist, then as a soldier of the Home Army, the underground Polish resistance. After the Soviet invasion, the authorities confiscated the estate and evicted Lobaczewski’s family.
While working for a living, he studied psychology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Conditions under Communist rule turned his attention to matters of psychopathology, especially to the role of psychopathic persons in such a system. He was not the first such researcher; an underground network of scientists of the older generation began the work, but was soon broken up by the secret police.
Dr. Lobaczewski improved his skills in clinical diagnosis and psychotherapy working in mental and general hospitals, and the open mental health service. He was forced to emigrate in 1977 after the political authorities suspected he knew too much about the pathological nature of their rule. In the USA he became a target of Communist agents of intrigue, foreign and domestic. Despite hardship, he completed his book, Political Ponerology, in New York in 1984, but was unable to have it published. During this time he completed a draft of a second book, Logocracy.
With broken health, he returned to Poland in 1990 under the care of doctors, his old friends. His condition improved gradually, and he was able to complete another book on psychotherapy and socio-psychology, Word Surgery, and see his two previous books published in Polish. He passed away in 2007.
“Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.” —O’Brien, in George Orwell’s 1984
FOREWORD by Michael Rectenwald
When I first encountered Political Ponerology by Andrew M. Łobaczewski, I had been struggling to understand just how authoritarian leftism had essentially taken over the United States of America. Ever since my encounters with the rabid social justice warriors as a Professor at New York University—as I recounted in my book Springtime for Snowflakes—I began to note, with no little alarm, the authoritarian character of the contemporary left. Then the emergence of “woke” ideology and its metastasis from academia into the entire social body set me on a mission to understand the rise of totalitarianism—because I believed, and still do, that wokism is totalitarian.
I began with the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and continued by examining the exportation of Bolshevik variants to Eastern Europe and Asia. Communism was more interesting to me than Nazism and a much more neglected terrain in the U.S. academy. Further, it was more relevant in the current context. In attempting to research leftist political criminality, I was both amazed and enraged at how the academy had buried much of the history. For example, searches for the practices of “struggle sessions” and “autocritique,” which were so prevalent during the Cultural Revolution in China, yielded next to nothing. These and related topics were either not treated or else simply disappeared. I suspected that a vast coverup had been undertaken.
Mind you, this area of study had never been my specialty. I had been an academic for almost thirty years. My work had been in the history of science and its intersections with culture in nineteenth-century Britain. I had latched onto a little-known development called “Secularism,” founded by George Jacob Holyoake in 1851. So, having relegated myself to this academic niche, I had quite a bit of catching up to do. Naturally, I foraged in The Black Book of Communism, a volume that is infamous among Western Marxists, and which, thanks to their blithe dismissal, was a book I’d never even bothered to open while a Marxist myself, let alone read. There was so much studying to do, including digging in the Stalinist Digital Archives, which were available to me as an official retiree from NYU. I also read the classic texts on totalitarianism and the literary accounts written by now famous but still too-neglected authors.
It wasn’t until I read Political Ponerology that I had any means by which to understand the etiology of totalitarianism. Here was an author who made the bold claim that he’d uncovered “the general laws of the origin of evil.” If true, this book was on par with Newton’s Principia in the physical sciences, while being of greater practical importance. I was astonished to see the confidence and determination with which the author pursued this aim. And he approached this domain from the disciplinary perspective of psychology. Such an “individualist” methodology had been dismissed as mere “psychologism” in my own and many other humanities and social science fields. I wondered why Łobaczewski insisted on focusing on individual psychological disorders to understand the unfolding of “macrosocial evil.” My assumption had always been that one needed to study political ideology and that political ideology explained nearly everything one needed to know about how and why totalitarian evil comes about.
As I first read through Political Ponerology, I started to become convinced that indeed a “mass formation”—a phrase recently introduced by dissidents and maligned by mainstream media in the context of covid propaganda—could begin with pathological individuals and spread throughout society, overtaking entire nations. Łobaczewski walks the reader through the process, from beginning to inglorious end. I recognized the patterns that Łobaczewski takes great pains to lay out. They matched the facts of historical totalitarianism. And I noted that these patterns hold today, down to the percentage of people that succumbs to totalitarian political ideology as well as the percentage that resists.
Speaking of ideology, Political Ponerology explains a phenomenon that had vexed me. How did Communist ideologues manage to convince the masses that they undertook their crimes for “the workers,” or “the people,” or egalitarianism? But even more perplexing, how did the ideologues convince themselves that their crimes were for the good of the common man? Łobaczewski explains that totalitarian ideology operates on two levels; the terms of the original ideology are taken at face value by true believers, while the party insiders substitute secondary meanings for the same terms, and normal people are subjected to gaslighting. Only the cognoscenti, the psychopaths, know and understand the secondary meanings. They recognize that actions purportedly undertaken on behalf of “the workers” translate into the domination of the party and state on behalf of the psychopaths themselves. The truth is the opposite of what the party insiders claim to be the case, and they know it. Political Ponerology thus explains the origin of “doublespeak,” which Orwell portrays so well. Coincidentally, Łobaczewski finished Political Ponerology in 1984.
Likewise, the book that lays before the reader is both an anomaly and a monumental achievement. It represents the inaugural volume in a new science—ponerology, or the science of evil. It explains the emergence and development of macrosocial evil thoroughly and with scientific precision.
Just how did this book come to be written and this scientific field discovered? Both were born in a living laboratory. Łobaczewski was not only one of the scientists developing its methods. He was also a subject in that laboratory. Łobaczewski came of age under Nazism with the German occupation of Poland and later lived under Communism. He became a psychologist, and given his clinical understanding of psychopathology, began to descry the psychopathological character of the Communist political system that had overtaken his homeland.
As I have mentioned, in Political Ponerology, Łobaczewski intervenes in this domain with a methodology—the methodological individualism and materialism of psychology—which had otherwise been thought inapplicable to it. He claims for this new science of ponerology the prospect of understanding, and more or less remedying, what is among the most pernicious developments in modern history and the source of untold suffering.
Łobaczewski argues that an adequate study of totalitarianism had hitherto been impossible because it had been undertaken in the wrong registers. It had been treated in terms of literature, ideology studies, history, religion, political science, and international politics, among other fields. One is reminded of the literary accounts and studies of the Soviet Union, the Eastern bloc, and Nazi Germany—of the classic works by Hannah Arendt, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Václav Benda, Václav Havel, and many others. These had made indispensable contributions but had, owing to no fault of their own, necessarily failed to grasp the root of the problem, namely, the psychopathological dimension of the inception and development of “pathocracy,” or rule by psychopaths.
The responses of normal human beings to the gross injustices and disfigurement of reality perpetrated by the ruling bodies had hitherto only been understood in terms of natural worldviews. Emotionality and moral judgments blinded victims to what beset them. The deficiencies in the approaches of scholars, as well as the moralism of laypersons, had left pathocracy essentially misapprehended and likewise left humanity without any effective defenses against it. Łobaczewski redresses these deficiencies and provides these defenses.
A crucial requirement for acquiring this knowledge is the introduction of a novel and appropriate taxonomy. Łobaczewski goes to great lengths to explain the necessity of taxonomy and to justify the introduction of objective, scientific terms, along with the concepts they convey. Every science that enters an unknown territory has had to do the same, the author reminds us. Łobaczewski rightly deems terminology essential to the task of the scientific endeavor at hand because it isolates and defines the elements and provides the tools for controlling them. “I had no choice,” Łobaczewski writes, “but to resort to objective biological, psychological, and psychopathological terminology in order to bring into focus the true nature of the phenomenon…” I will leave to the editor and author himself the introduction of most of these terms along with their definitions, while noting only that the proper naming of pathocracy and its features is one of the author’s major contributions. Such naming, he makes clear, provides the first best defense against its development and spread.
Sections of the book say so much that they may seem to convey mere generalities. But the reader must struggle to pay close attention as Łobaczewski discusses the normal psychological and psychosocial conditions of individuals and societies so that the emergence into power of pathological characters with their telling characteristics can be discerned, comprehended, and, if possible, prevented. These characteristics are discussed with penetrating insight and remarkable lucidity. As I did, the reader living under similar conditions will take note of patterns and will validate the author’s findings by comparison to his or her own experience. He or she will thereby begin to find the defenses against the effects of pathocracy that the author promises. As Łobaczewski says, “[w]ith reference to phenomena of a ponerogenic nature, mere proper knowledge alone can begin healing individual humans and helping their minds regain harmony.” Reading Political Ponerology thus constitutes an extended therapy session for those struggling to maintain their own sanity and humanity in the midst of insanity and inhumanity. It did for me.
For these and other reasons, the reader may find this book dizzying but also of the utmost importance. Political Ponerology is essential reading for concerned thinkers and all sufferers of past and present totalitarianism. It is especially crucial today, when leftist totalitarianism is once again on the rise, this time in the West, where it affects nearly every aspect of life, including especially the life of the mind.
Thus begins “an overall therapy of the world.”
Michael Rectenwald, PhD
Pittsburgh, PA, February 27, 2022
Dr. Michael Rectenwald is the author of Thought Criminal (2020); Beyond Woke (2020); Google Archipelago (2019); Springtime for Snowflakes (2018) and others. Michael is the Chief Academic Officer and co-founder of American Scholars, a pro-American education platform. He was a Professor of Liberal Studies and Global Liberal Studies at NYU from 2008 to 2019.
“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.” - Missionaria Protectiva, in Frank Herbert’s Chapterhouse: Dune
The book has a long and excellent introduction from editor Harrison Koehli.
Here are some highlights:
Political Ponerology is a groundbreaking work that examines the psychological and psychiatric factors behind totalitarianism and macrosocial evil.
The author, Andrzej Łobaczewski, was part of a secret group of scientists who studied these phenomena under communist rule in Eastern Europe.
Psychopathy plays a key role in the rise of pathological social systems. Approximately 6% of the population is most susceptible to pathological influence.
Łobaczewski argues that personality disorders, particularly psychopathy, are the main drivers of large-scale evil, not just environmental factors.
Totalitarian systems can be understood as macrosocial pathological phenomena that restructure society according to deviant psychological criteria.
Under pathocracy, a sharp division occurs along psychobiological lines, with personality disordered individuals becoming the new ruling class.
The book outlines a cycle of "pathocracy" development involving different personality disorders like schizoids, characteropaths and psychopaths gaining power in stages.
Ideology serves as a mask to cloak the psychopathic nature of a pathocracy. Different ideologies have served this role historically.
There are troubling signs that social justice ideology and totalitarian tendencies are on the rise in the West today, replicating patterns seen in 20th century communist regimes.
Awareness of ponerology concepts can provide an "immunity" against pathocracy by allowing people to recognize the warning signs. Education is key.
Religious institutions that prevent the spread of ponerogenic material can act as a societal defense against pathological political movements.
The book describes the distorting psychological effects of living under pathocratic systems and how a "society of normal people" develops in response.
Since the book's publication in 2006, research has emerged further supporting ponerology, though much more is needed.
The editor has provided detailed footnotes to expand on Łobaczewski's ideas and connect them to historical examples and current events.
Greater awareness of ponerology has the potential to prevent or mitigate future recurrences of the destructive phenomena it describes. The spread of this knowledge is crucial.
“I have always thought that in revolutions, especially democratic revolutions, madmen, not those so called by courtesy, but genuine madmen, have played a very considerable political part. One thing is certain, and that is that a condition of semi-madness is not unbecoming at such times, and often even leads to success.” - Alexis de Tocqueville, in Recollections on the French Revolution
Excerpts from the Introduction.
"Łobaczewski's thesis is as commonsense as it is novel: the answer to both questions is the same. The dynamics of evil and its genesis are similar no matter the scale—familial, social, or macrosocial. But we should first define evil—a word and concept many imprudently reject because of its alleged religious connotations. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo provides an adequate definition: 'Evil consists in intentionally behaving in ways that harm, abuse, demean, dehumanize, or destroy innocent others—or using one's authority and systemic power to encourage and permit others to do so on your behalf.'"
"Humanity is complex, and an understanding of evil will require a sufficient understanding of this complexity. For example, humans vary on a number of traits. The current best model breaks down human personality into five traits which vary independently of each other: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Conservatives tend to be higher in conscientiousness, and liberals are more likely to be higher in openness. Additionally, the 'dark triad' model was developed to capture the traits most often associated with callous, malevolent individuals: narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism."
"Dispensing with economic, political, and social explanations of totalitarianism as chronically missing the point, he presents the psychopathological roots of the main features of such social systems. Each factor described in Chapter IV contributes in its own characteristic fashion to the phenomenon described in this chapter. For instance, Łobaczewski argues that schizoids, characteropaths, and sociopaths contribute most to the early stages of pathocracy (shizoids as ideological theorists and utopian revolutionaries, characteropaths and sociopaths as ideological spellbinders, political agitators, and early administrators). Over time, psychopathic individuals gain supremacy, forming a pathological political network, at which point characteropaths and schizoids are relegated to the sidelines."
"Something is happening in the Western world—something eerily familiar to the processes described in this book and the events which took their course in the twentieth century, from the Russian Revolution of 1917 to Mao's Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. While seeds of this process can be traced back to weaknesses and contradictions inherent in the philosophies that form the bedrock of our current sociopolitical systems, the intellectual lineage of the current social justice ideology tracks back to the postmodernism and critical theory/New Left of the 1960s and 1970s."
"Łobaczewski never planned to write this book. Another scientist was supposed to synthesize the work of others, but he fell off the map—probably into a secret police prison, or worse—and eventually so did all the others. As the only remaining member of this underground network, Łobaczewski took up the task to the best of his ability, finally completing it in exile after several run-ins with the authorities."
PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT
In presenting my honored readers with this volume, which I generally worked on during the early hours before leaving to make a difficult living, I would first like to apologize for the defects which are the result of anomalous circumstances. I readily admit that these lacunae should be filled, time-consuming as that may be, because the facts on which this book are based are urgently needed; through no fault of the author’s, these data have come too late.
The reader is entitled to an explanation of the long history and circumstances under which this work was compiled, not just of the content itself. This is, in fact, the third manuscript I have created on this same subject. I threw the first manuscript into a central-heating furnace, having been warned just in time about an official search, which took place minutes later. I sent the second draft to a Church dignitary at the Vatican by means of an American tourist and was absolutely unable to obtain any kind of information about the fate of the parcel once it was left with him.
This long history of subject-matter elaboration made work on the third version even more laborious. Prior paragraphs and former phrases from one or both of the first drafts haunt the writer’s mind and make proper planning of the content more difficult.
The two lost drafts were written in very convoluted language for the benefit of specialists with the necessary background, particularly in the field of psychopathology. The irretrievable disappearance of the second version also meant the loss of the overwhelming majority of statistical data and facts which would have been so valuable and conclusive for specialists in the field. Several analyses of individual cases were also lost.
The present version contains only such statistical data that had been memorized due to frequent use, or that could be reconstructed with satisfactory precision. I also added those data, particularly the more accessible ones from the field of psychopathology, which I considered essential in presenting this subject to readers with a good general education, and especially to representatives of the social and political sciences and to politicians. I also nurse the hope that this work may reach a wider audience and make available some useful scientific data which may serve as a basis for comprehension of the contemporary world and its history. It may also make it easier for readers to understand themselves, their neighbors, and other nations of the world.
Who produced the knowledge and performed the work summarized within the pages of this book? It was a joint endeavor not only consisting of my efforts, but also representing the results of many researchers, some of them not known to the author. The situational genesis of this book makes it virtually impossible to separate the accomplishments and give proper credit to every individual for his or her efforts.
I worked in Poland far away from active political and cultural centers for many years. That is where I undertook a series of detailed tests and observations which were to be combined with the resulting generalizations of various other experimenters in order to produce an overall introduction for an understanding of the macrosocial phenomenon surrounding us. The name of the person who was expected to produce the final synthesis was a secret, as was understandable and necessary given the time and the situation. I would very occasionally receive anonymous summaries of the results of tests made by other researchers in Poland and Hungary; a few data were published, as they raised no suspicions that a specialized work was being compiled, and these data could still be located today.
The expected synthesis of this research did not occur. All of my contacts became inoperative as a result of the wave of post-Stalin repression and secret arrests of researchers in the early sixties. The remaining scientific data in my possession were very incomplete, albeit priceless in value. It took many years of lonely work to weld these fragments into a coherent whole, filling the lacunae with my own experience and research.
My research on essential psychopathy and its exceptional role in the macrosocial phenomenon was conducted concurrently with, or shortly after, that of others. Their conclusions reached me later and confirmed my own. The most characteristic item in my work is the general concept for a new scientific discipline named “ponerology.” The reader will also find other fragments of information based on my own research. I also effected an overall synthesis to the best of my ability.
As the author of the final work, I hereby express my deep respect for all those who initiated the research and continued to conduct it at the risk of their careers, health, and lives. I pay homage to those who paid the price through suffering or death. May this work constitute some compensation for their sacrifices, regardless of where they may be today. Times more conducive to an understanding of this material may recall their names, both those which I never knew and those I have since forgotten.
New York, NY, August 1984
Andrew Lobaczewski
Six Percent
The despotism of an entire empire played itself out in that lecture hall. The new professor played the role of petty tyrant, a Dolores Umbridge–type figure spewing ideological drivel with the self-certainty of a revolutionary zealot, ruling with an iron fist, and enforcing rules that violated all prior norms of common decency and scientific respectability. The reaction among most students was one of psychological shock. Social and emotional bonds were broken, and the class quickly became polarized along somewhat mysterious lines. Not all students were repulsed by the professor’s personality, boorish behavior, and nonsensical ideas. Some 6% were swayed to his side, aping his manner, adopting his ideology, and turning on their former friends and colleagues. For some this was only temporary, but others joined the Party, becoming petty tyrants themselves. But only ever 6%. There was a natural limit to the number of recruits the professor could fish out of the student body.
The odd thing about this new division was that it replicated itself at every social level. Whether in the village or the city, among the rich or poor, religious or atheist, educated or not, the new division sliced straight through all prior social divisions. And for the next forty years, this 6% formed the core of the new leadership, as if they were individual iron filings attracted by the pull of some invisible magnet, the criteria for which bore no resemblance to those which had previously obtained, like talent, merit, experience, virtue, wealth, or birth.
—
It was relatively easy to determine the environments and origins of the people who succumbed to this process, which I later called “transpersonification.” They came from all social groups, including aristocratic and fervently religious families, and caused a break in our student solidarity to the order of some 6%. The remaining majority suffered varying degrees of personality disintegration which gave rise to individual efforts to search for the criteria and values necessary to find ourselves again; the efforts were varied and often creative.
Even then, we had no doubts as to the pathological nature of this “transpersonification” process, which ran similarly but not identically in all cases. The duration of the results of this phenomenon also varied. Some of these people later became zealots. Others later took advantage of various circumstances to withdraw and re-establish their lost links to the society of normal people. They were replaced. The only constant value of the new social system was the magic number of 6%.
—
A new professor acted as a petty tyrant in a lecture hall, enforcing rules that violated norms of decency and scientific respectability. This caused psychological shock and polarization among students.
About 6% of students were swayed to the professor's side, adopting his ideology. This 6% formed the core of new leadership for the next 40 years.
The phenomenon, called "transpersonification", replicated itself at every social level, slicing through prior divisions like class, religion, education, etc.
The 6% consists of 0.6% essential psychopaths and other psychopathies like asthenic, schizoidal, anankastic, and hysterical individuals. Skirtoidal individuals become fellow-travelers.
Another 12% warp their personalities to meet the demands of the new reality. They are weaker, more sickly, less vital, and have higher rates of mental illness compared to the general population.
The 6% constitute a new nobility while the 12% form a new bourgeoisie. The latter play a crucial intermediary role between the pathological ruling group and the rest of society.
In total, only about 18% of the population favors the new system. The proportion varies by country from 15-21% but is always a relatively small minority.
transpersonification: The personality transformation undergone by a small percentage of the population in response to psychopathological indoctrination and macrosocial psychopathological phenomena. These individuals became fervent supporters of the new pathocracy, to varying degrees. This process only ever affected up to 6% of individuals in Poland, which Łobaczewski identified as those who either suffered some form of traumatic brain injury that affected their personalities, or who were otherwise personality disordered.
Interactive Book Summary
Political Ponerology by Andrew Lobaczewski
The Science of Evil, Psychopathy and the Origins of Totalitarianism
What is the main subject of the book Political Ponerology by Andrew M. Lobaczewski?
Political Ponerology is a study of the nature, causes, and genesis of evil on a macrosocial level, particularly focusing on the role of psychopathological factors in the development of oppressive political systems, which Lobaczewski terms "pathocracies."
How does Lobaczewski define the term "ponerology"?
Lobaczewski defines ponerology as the study of the nature, causes, and genesis of evil, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach that draws from psychology, sociology, history, and political science.
According to Lobaczewski, what role do individuals with psychological disorders play in the genesis of evil on a macrosocial level?
Lobaczewski argues that individuals with various psychological disorders, particularly psychopathy, play a crucial role in the genesis of evil on a macrosocial level. These individuals often rise to positions of power and influence, shaping the development of pathocratic systems that cause widespread suffering and dysfunction.
What is the "hysteroidal cycle" described in the book, and how does it contribute to the development of pathocracy?
The hysteroidal cycle is a recurring pattern in societies characterized by a period of moral and intellectual decline, followed by a period of societal crisis and the potential emergence of pathocracy. During the "happy times" of the hysteroidal cycle, people become complacent, and critical thinking declines, creating an environment conducive to the influence of pathological individuals.
How does Lobaczewski differentiate between primary and secondary ponerogenic associations?
Primary ponerogenic associations are those formed by pathological individuals from the outset, with the intent of pursuing their own goals and interests. Secondary ponerogenic associations are initially founded with normal, positive intentions but are later infiltrated and corrupted by pathological individuals, leading to a gradual ponerization of the group.
paralogic (paralogism, paralogistics): An illogical, false logic. A paralogism is a statement or argument intended to be persuasive that is fundamentally illogical. It can either be the result of conversive thinking or deliberate mendacity. Ideological propaganda is a form of paralogistics. It is ostensibly logical, but contains false premises, leaps of logic, and double standards. Paralogic acquires much of its persuasive force due to the presence of paramoralisms. Orwell captured the essence of paralogic in 1984: “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.” James Lindsay defines ideological paralogic as “an alternative logic—a paralogic, an illogical fake logic that operates beside logic—that has internally comprehensible rules and structure but that does not produce logical results.”
What is the role of ideology in the development and maintenance of a pathocratic system?
Ideology serves as a tool for pathocratic systems to justify their actions, manipulate the masses, and maintain power. The original ideology of a movement is often transformed and distorted by the pathocracy to serve its own purposes, while still maintaining an appearance of adherence to the original principles.
How does a pathocracy manipulate and transform the original ideology of a movement it parasitizes?
A pathocracy manipulates and transforms the original ideology of a movement by gradually replacing its core values and principles with a distorted, pathological version that serves the interests of the ruling pathocrats. This process often involves the use of propaganda, censorship, and the suppression of dissent.
What are the key characteristics of a pathocratic system, according to Lobaczewski?
According to Lobaczewski, a pathocratic system is characterized by the dominance of pathological individuals in positions of power, the systematic suppression of normal human values and emotions, the use of propaganda and psychological manipulation to control the population, and the gradual erosion of the moral and intellectual fabric of society.
How do normal people living under pathocratic rule develop psychological resistance and immunization to the system?
Normal people living under pathocratic rule develop psychological resistance and immunization through a process of adaptation, learning to recognize the pathological nature of the system, and developing strategies for survival and maintaining their moral integrity. This often involves the creation of parallel structures and networks of support among the non-pathological population.
What is the "dissimulative phase" of pathocracy, and what are its main features?
The dissimulative phase of pathocracy is a stage in which the pathocratic system attempts to present a more benign and acceptable face to the world, while still maintaining its essential pathological character. This phase is marked by a degree of relaxation of overt oppression, the co-optation of some non-pathological individuals into the power structure, and the manipulation of public opinion to create an illusion of normalcy.
paramorality (paramoralism): An immoral, false morality. Paramoralisms can take the form of slogans or suggestive insults (epithets, terms of abuse) with highly negative connotations. They are the means by which something good or neutral can be deemed evil or immoral, or something evil or neutral deemed good. For example, words with positive, neutral, or negative connotations can be transformed into the words implying the worst form of evil, e.g., traitor, counterrevolutionary, Jew, kulak, racist, sexist, transphobe, etc. Those under the influence of a psychopathological individual will often paramorally defend them and even approve of their behavior. If freedom is slavery according to paralogic, then according to paramorality, evil is good, and conscience is evil. James Lindsay defines ideological paramorality as “an immoral false morality which lies beside (and apart from) anything that deserves to be called ‘moral.’ The goal of the paramorality is to socially enforce the belief that good people accept the paramorality and attendant pseudo-reality while everyone else is morally deficient and evil. That is, it is an inversion of morality.”
How does pathocracy affect the psychological and psychiatric sciences in the countries under its rule?
Under pathocratic rule, the psychological and psychiatric sciences are subject to strict control and manipulation, with the aim of preventing the development of knowledge that could threaten the power of the pathocrats. This often involves the suppression of research into psychopathology, the promotion of ideologically driven pseudo-science, and the persecution of scientists who refuse to conform to the official line.
What is the relationship between pathocracy and religion, as described in the book?
Lobaczewski describes a complex relationship between pathocracy and religion. On one hand, pathocratic systems often seek to suppress or manipulate religious institutions to serve their own purposes. On the other hand, genuine religious values and insights can provide a source of resistance and moral guidance for individuals living under pathocratic rule.
How can individuals and societies protect themselves from the influence of pathological individuals and the development of pathocracy?
Individuals and societies can protect themselves from the influence of pathological individuals and the development of pathocracy by cultivating knowledge and awareness of the nature of these phenomena, developing robust moral and intellectual frameworks, and creating institutional safeguards to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of pathological individuals.
What role does knowledge of psychopathology and the genesis of evil play in the development of a healthier society?
Knowledge of psychopathology and the genesis of evil is essential for the development of a healthier society, as it enables individuals and institutions to recognize and counteract the influence of pathological factors in social and political life. By understanding the underlying causes of evil, society can develop more effective strategies for prevention and healing.
According to Lobaczewski, what are the limitations of traditional moral and legal systems in dealing with pathocracy and its consequences?
Lobaczewski argues that traditional moral and legal systems are often inadequate in dealing with pathocracy and its consequences, as they are based on assumptions about human nature and behavior that do not take into account the existence of pathological factors. This can lead to the misinterpretation of pathological behavior as merely immoral or criminal, rather than recognizing its deeper psychological roots.
pathocracy: A macrosocial disease of mass social movements and ideologies (whether social, political, or religious) which infects entire societies, nations, and empires. Pathocracy is the result of ponerized secondary ponerogenic unions which achieve political domination either through revolution from below (a group not in power that gains power, through violent or democratic means) or from above (in which an existing ruling class is infected from within). Pathocracy can also come about through foreign influence, either imposed by force or through artificial infection (psychological warfare, subversion, infiltration). In its early phases after achieving power it is typically led primarily by characteropathic individuals, inspired by schizoid ideologies. This phase of initial consolidation is the most violent and destructive, as the old social order is destroyed and progressively reordered through successive purges until practically all social positions of influence are occupied by people with a variety of personality disorders and character disturbances. This destructive phase is followed by a dissimulative phase once the new order has stabilized, characterized primarily by psychopathic individuals. During this phase, repressions are less intense—though targeted and ruthless when necessary—and normal people learn to adapt to the new system. The dissimulative phase can last decades or centuries until the society of normal people has a chance to develop and reestablish a normal social and governmental structure. Psychopathy plays an essential role in the ponerogenesis of pathocracy; the proportion of a society’s essential psychopaths who integrate into the new ruling class approaches 100%. Pathocracy is a pathological inversion of a normal social hierarchy, in which social outcasts, criminals, and other psychological deviants rise to the top.
What is the importance of understanding the psychological causes of evil, as opposed to relying solely on moral judgments?
Understanding the psychological causes of evil is crucial because it allows for a more comprehensive and effective approach to preventing and combating its manifestations. By recognizing the role of pathological factors in the genesis of evil, society can develop targeted interventions and strategies that address the root causes of the problem, rather than merely condemning or punishing its symptoms.
How does Lobaczewski propose to deal with the perpetrators of pathocratic systems in the aftermath of their collapse?
Lobaczewski proposes a nuanced approach to dealing with the perpetrators of pathocratic systems, one that takes into account the psychological factors that contributed to their behavior. Rather than relying solely on punishment and retribution, he advocates for a process of psychological rehabilitation and reintegration, guided by a deep understanding of the nature of pathological disorders.
What is the significance of the "Theory of Positive Disintegration" by Kazimierz Dąbrowski in the context of Political Ponerology?
The Theory of Positive Disintegration, developed by Kazimierz Dąbrowski, provides a framework for understanding the process of individual psychological development and the potential for growth in the face of adversity. In the context of Political Ponerology, this theory offers insights into how individuals can resist the influence of pathological factors and maintain their moral integrity under oppressive conditions.
How can societies prevent the emergence of pathocracy in the future, according to Lobaczewski?
According to Lobaczewski, preventing the emergence of pathocracy in the future requires a multi-faceted approach that includes the development of a comprehensive understanding of the nature of pathological factors, the cultivation of moral and intellectual resilience in individuals and society, and the creation of institutional safeguards to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of pathological individuals.
What is the role of "spellbinders" in the development and maintenance of pathocratic systems?
Spellbinders are individuals with psychopathic traits who play a key role in the development and maintenance of pathocratic systems. They use their charisma, manipulation skills, and lack of empathy to influence and control others, often rising to positions of power and shaping the ideology of the pathocratic system to suit their own interests.
ponerization: The process by which ponerogenic associations become infected and progressively hijacked by individuals with personality disorders, and social-movement ideologies are transformed into caricatures of themselves. Such a group undergoes negative selection, whereby more normal members either become disaffected and leave, or are pushed out. In the first phase, characteropaths act as spellbinders and leaders, but in the next phase psychopaths push them out of their positions, at which point they become responsible for upholding ideological purity. Ideology undergoes a similar transformation, with the creation of hermetic “insider” understanding, and an ideology for public consumption and support. While Łobaczewski uses the term exclusively in the context of such groups, a similar dynamic can arguably play itself out in any group (or individual). For example, a family that comes under the influence of pathological members; an individual undergoing the transpersonification process; a business; school board; corporation; governmental department or agency, etc.
How does the "schizoidal declaration" contribute to the distortion of reality under pathocratic rule?
The "schizoidal declaration" is a statement that reflects the distorted worldview of schizoidal individuals, who often play a significant role in the development of pathocratic ideologies. This declaration typically involves a cynical and manipulative view of human nature, a rejection of moral norms, and a belief in the necessity of authoritarian control. When such views become integrated into the ideology of a pathocratic system, they contribute to the distortion of reality and the justification of oppressive measures.
What are the main differences between the psychological worldviews of normal people and those of individuals with pathological disorders?
The psychological worldviews of normal people and those of individuals with pathological disorders differ in several key respects. Normal individuals tend to have a more balanced and empathetic view of human nature, a respect for moral norms and the rights of others, and a capacity for self-reflection and growth. In contrast, pathological individuals often exhibit a distorted and manipulative view of others, a disregard for moral boundaries, and a rigidity in their thought patterns and behaviors.
How does the "ponerization process" lead to the corruption of social and political movements by pathological influences?
The ponerization process refers to the gradual corruption of social and political movements by pathological influences, often leading to the transformation of these movements into pathocratic systems. This process typically involves the infiltration of the movement by pathological individuals, the manipulation and distortion of its ideology, and the suppression of normal human values and dissent. Over time, the movement becomes increasingly dominated by pathological factors, leading to its moral and intellectual degradation.
What are the key differences between "essential psychopathy" and other psychopathological disorders in terms of their impact on society?
Essential psychopathy is considered the most severe and dangerous of the psychopathological disorders, characterized by a complete lack of empathy, a manipulative and predatory nature, and a tendency to seek positions of power and influence. While other psychopathological disorders can also have negative impacts on society, essential psychopathy is uniquely destructive due to the ability of psychopathic individuals to blend in, manipulate others, and pursue their own interests without regard for the harm they cause.
How does the "pathocratic state" manipulate and control the scientific community, particularly in the fields of psychology and psychiatry?
The pathocratic state seeks to manipulate and control the scientific community, particularly in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, in order to suppress knowledge that could threaten its power and legitimacy. This is achieved through a variety of means, including the censorship of research, the promotion of ideologically-driven pseudo-science, the persecution of dissenting scientists, and the co-optation of scientific institutions and funding sources.
What is the significance of the "Nuremberg trials" in the context of understanding and dealing with the consequences of pathocracy?
Lobaczewski argues that the Nuremberg trials, which brought Nazi war criminals to justice after World War II, represented a missed opportunity to fully expose the pathological nature of the Nazi regime and to develop a deeper understanding of the psychological factors that contribute to the emergence of pathocracy. By focusing primarily on individual culpability rather than the underlying systemic issues, the trials failed to address the root causes of the problem and to provide a blueprint for preventing future atrocities.
How can "psychological immunization" help individuals and societies resist the influence of pathological individuals and pathocratic systems?
Psychological immunization refers to the process of developing mental and emotional resilience in the face of pathological influences. By cultivating self-awareness, critical thinking skills, and a strong moral compass, individuals can learn to recognize and resist manipulation, propaganda, and other forms of psychological pressure. At a societal level, promoting psychological immunization through education, media literacy, and the fostering of healthy social bonds can help to create a more resilient and resistant population.
What role does forgiveness play in the healing process of societies that have experienced pathocracy, and how does it differ from traditional concepts of justice?
Lobaczewski argues that forgiveness plays a crucial role in the healing process of societies that have experienced pathocracy, but he distinguishes this from traditional concepts of justice that focus on punishment and retribution. Instead, he advocates for a form of "therapeutic justice" that seeks to understand and address the psychological roots of pathological behavior, while still holding individuals accountable for their actions. By promoting forgiveness and reconciliation, societies can break the cycle of violence and trauma, and create the conditions for genuine healing and growth.
How does the use of "paralogisms" and "paramoralisms" contribute to the manipulation of language and morality under pathocratic rule?
Paralogisms and paramoralisms are distorted forms of reasoning and morality that are used by pathocratic systems to manipulate language and justify their actions. Paralogisms involve the use of superficially logical arguments that are actually based on false or misleading premises, while paramoralisms involve the perversion of moral norms to suit the interests of the pathocracy. By using these techniques, pathocratic systems can create a veneer of legitimacy and rationality, while actually undermining the very foundations of truth and morality.
What is the importance of objective scientific knowledge in the development of a more just and humane legal system, according to Lobaczewski?
Lobaczewski argues that objective scientific knowledge, particularly in the fields of psychology and psychopathology, is essential for the development of a more just and humane legal system. By understanding the psychological factors that contribute to criminal and pathological behavior, society can develop more effective and compassionate approaches to prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration. This requires a shift away from traditional models of punishment and retribution, towards a more evidence-based and therapeutically-oriented approach.
How can the "theory of logocracy" proposed by Lobaczewski contribute to the creation of a more stable and ethical social and political system?
The theory of logocracy, proposed by Lobaczewski, envisions a social and political system based on the principles of reason, knowledge, and moral integrity. In a logocratic system, power would be distributed among individuals with a high level of psychological and moral development, with safeguards in place to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of pathological individuals. This system would prioritize education, critical thinking, and the cultivation of empathy and compassion, with the ultimate goal of creating a more harmonious and equitable society.
What are the main challenges faced by societies transitioning from pathocracy to a more normal and healthy system of governance?
Societies transitioning from pathocracy to a more normal and healthy system of governance face a range of challenges, including the need to dismantle the institutional structures and ideological frameworks of the old regime, the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals who were complicit in the pathocracy, and the rebuilding of trust and social cohesion. This process can be further complicated by the persistence of pathological influences, the struggle for power among competing factions, and the difficulties of adapting to a new social and political reality.
How does the personal story of Andrew M. Lobaczewski reflect the broader themes and experiences described in Political Ponerology?
Lobaczewski's personal story, as a survivor of both Nazi and Soviet occupation in Poland, and later as a psychologist and researcher studying the nature of pathocracy, reflects the broader themes and experiences described in Political Ponerology. His firsthand encounters with the brutality and oppression of totalitarian systems, as well as his professional insights into the psychological factors that contribute to their emergence and maintenance, lend a unique depth and authenticity to his analysis. At the same time, his story also speaks to the resilience and courage of individuals who resist the influence of pathological forces, and who work tirelessly to spread knowledge and understanding in the face of great adversity.
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While I am sure that POLITICAL PONEROLOGY is an excellent book, it is predated by Hannah Arendt's THE ORIGIN OF TOTALITARIANISM and THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TOTALITARIANISM by Mattias Desmet.
I appreciate the title of your own book: it brings back fond memories of Mel Brooks' SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER.
Political Ponerology is ponderously written and hard to understand. I did a summary in the Banker's chapter of Cassandra's Memo, free download here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/t2feeen29q
Here are a couple of posts I did about this, including an interview with a psychopath expert https://robertyoho.substack.com/p/149-testing-for-psychopathsthe-stuff?utm_source=publication-search and https://robertyoho.substack.com/p/162-my-interview-with-a-psychopath?utm_source=publication-search