and those they follow-
Pg 68- Section titled – The leaders of crowds and their means of persuasion
The leaders we speak of are more frequently men of action than thinkers.
They are not gifted with keen foresight, nor could they be, as this quality generally conduces to doubt and inactivity. They are especially recruited from the ranks of those morbidly nervous, excitable, half-deranged persons who are bordering on madness.However absurd may be the idea they uphold or the
goal they pursue, their convictions are so strong that all reasoning is lost upon them.These leaders are often subtle rhetoricians, seeking only their own personal interest, and endeavouring to persuade by flattering base instincts.
Nothing has changed from when this book was written
4 replies on “Gustav LeBon- The Crowd”
Excellent post, Penny.
That’s why I believe in the Chaos Theory of political interaction. It is said that ” no military plan outlives initial contact with the enemy”. Most political agendas are the same. More and more in modern politics the elites will do anything to smash the status quo and hope that the resulting carnage favours them and their stakeholders.
That’s an interesting comment Mark, thanks!
Chaos theory of political interaction? I have to look a bit more into that and if you can point me to a starting point, please do.
Not sure if you’ve read the LeBon book (pdf is included) but, IMO, well worth the time- it packs a big punch for a small book
I’ll spare you the results of the ubiquitous google search on ‘chaos theory in politics’, you’ll find lots of academic bull shit there.
I might have read LeBon years ago when I was diligent and disciplined, but I will read again for the words rang so true. Thanks for the link to the pdf and thanks for your continued curiosity.
I postulate that Gustave Le Bon is part of basic reading as well as the art of war by Sun Tzu, and for science fiction fans, please refer to Stranger in a strange Land (the author has already beautifully shown some social mechanisms there). Best regards from old Germany, a country with a stupid and blind leadership that still has not understood that a surrender – 8th of Mai 1945 – without a subsequent peace treaty is just a dormant war).