26 Comments
User's avatar
Mark Bisone's avatar

"Despite talent to manipulate others, psychopaths have below average intelligence."

This one has always been of interest to me. I always silently add "of those who've been caught." I wonder if the theory allows for the counterfactual: a highly intelligent predator that evades detection by metagaming the known techniques.

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

Could be. I see it slightly differently. The bell curve is just slightly shifted to the left. So you still have plenty of very intelligent psychopaths, just very few or no super geniuses with off-the-chart intellects.

Then again, I'm still open to the possibility of the super-psycho.

Expand full comment
Mark Bisone's avatar

Not claiming evil genius is the norm. Just positing that a black swan who escaped the detection grid might be dangerous to a degree that warrants a thought experiment or two. I think evil and insanity generally align with incompetence . But if edge cases exist, they would be worth investigating.

Expand full comment
Scott Gordon - FreeScientology's avatar

This should be a great help. "Political Ponerology" is by far the hardest book I ever read (well, still a couple chapters to go...). And I've read the Holy Bible cover-to-cover and "Das Kapital" all the way through.

Łobaczewski chose his words precisely. I'm not really that well-read, so the only comparison I have is Hegel. Precise choice of words not always easy to take in without re-reading. I would spend an hour on getting through just two pages of Political Ponerology.

Expand full comment
badEnglish's avatar

I’d love to attend. Two questions, please. First, what do you anticipate will be the duration of each session? Second, how many sessions do you expect host? Thanks! I’m rooting for Monday evening. :-)

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

Duration is open until we see what works. I'm thinking minimum 1 hour, max 2.

As for how many sessions, same thing. Minimum 12, maximum 40. We'll have to see how much material we cover each session. Depending on how deep everyone wants to go, we could end up covering only a handful of pages in a session, or we could stick to a chapter per session or two.

Expand full comment
Akiko's avatar

My book just arrived, and after a little bit of skimming I'm thinking it will take closer to 40 sessions than 12!

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

I think you're probably right. ;)

Expand full comment
Amy Harlib's avatar

Any possibility please for a 'scholarship' for a financially challenged senior on a very limited income? I have been fascinated with the subject of evil people for many years and why they exist and what 'normal' folks can do about it.

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

Yes!

Expand full comment
Amy Harlib's avatar

THANK YOU!!

Expand full comment
Buffalo_Ken's avatar

What happens if there is a big argument about it all....I assume as long as debate is fair, then that is sort of the purpose?

Or is this just classroom instruction?

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

I will moderate the discussion if things get out of hand.

Expand full comment
Buffalo_Ken's avatar

Of course as any host ought do...

(smile)

I'm looking forward to it and makes me feel better about my paid subscription.

Ken

Expand full comment
Susan Guest's avatar

I have the Red Pill Press version; will this track with the one linked above?

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

The red cover, or the dark cover with the pills on it? The red one will work, but the newer one will be better (fixed translation, new material, more footnotes).

Expand full comment
Jessica J's avatar

There's a documentary on psychopaths I found fascinating. A neurologist that was a family man and neurologist was a psychopath admittedly based on confirmation with associates based off his brain scans. I couldn't stop thinking his poor wife and kids.

Expand full comment
Oregonian's avatar

I bought the book, but I haven’t had the stomach to read it...

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

Now's the chance! Bit by bit.

Expand full comment
James Lovinsky's avatar

Looking forward to this!

Expand full comment
Larry Cox's avatar

The Henry George School used to do this with Progress and Poverty. In-person meetings! Those were the days!

Expand full comment
Akgrrrl's avatar

While you have the attention of Epoch Times, maybe teach them that their name is "ee-pock" and not "epic". I dissed them as obviously illiterate after watching their main journalist say epic over and over and have never tuned in once since. Why listen to those who don't even know their own 'namesake, a mere 4letter word?

Expand full comment
Harrison Koehli's avatar

My dictionary says:

epoch (ˈepək)

epic (ˈepik)

So maybe they're not wrong!

Expand full comment
Akgrrrl's avatar

Thanks for the answer. My 1p13 Websters dictionary 6 inches thick of 3,194 pages 11x17 indicates ee-pock from the Greek,

1) a point of time,determined by some significant time, with reference to which dates are reckoned

2)any event or time of an event marking the beginning of a relatively new development

3) a fixed time; date; marked by significant events

3)the divisions of geologic time...

4) and 5) more minutia of above meanings ie astrological events

Expand full comment
badEnglish's avatar

Isn’t there an old saying about tomatoes that could apply here? I believe epoch is a 5letter word, fwiw.

Expand full comment
Akgrrrl's avatar

Fat finger typo just like my 1p13 (1913) dictionary. Sorry we have no tomatoes.

Expand full comment