"They simply need to be thinking and acting in the same direction, akin to following the rule for placement of the next dot in the Sierpinksi triangle, unaware of the final form their actions will take."
The LOCKSTEP actions we are seeing across the West now, instigated by all or most of the leftwing puppet politicians? Following the group rule for placement of the next dot?
"As with drawing the Sierpinski triangle, if everyone follows the same rules, it results in strictly regular patterns emerging in society."
A totalitarian group deals swiftly to punish any questioners or dissenters to their group narrative. They will shun, smear, punish. I consider modern Cancel Culture a society-wide form of this.
To consider the reverse, would it dissuade totalitarianism, in this sense, to overtly fail to follow the rules?
"Rather, crowds are complex dynamic social phenomena, like murmurations of starlings. Whatever is going on, it isn’t conscious or rationally developed, but rather follows certain implicit rules. As Desmet writes, 'the individual soul is replaced by a common group soul' (PT, p. 125)."
The common group soul? I have long called it a hive-mind. Similar idea. Even biologist Richard Dawkins acknowledged in "The Selfish Gene" that there are mysterious processes of information transfer amongst humanity which have nothing to do with genes. He began referring to this as a mind-virus. We have all seen ideas/fashions leaping to life and spreading quickly within the vehicle of groups, whether they be normal groups or dysfunctional mass formations.
There is also the concept of unresolved trauma being passed down inter-generationally. Dr. Rachel Yehuda surmises it is epigenetic. I do not know the vehicle, but I have indeed seen it.
Rupert Sheldrake and his Morphic Resonance come to mind here.
"To individuals with various psychological deviations, such a social structure [i.e. law-based] dominated by normal people and their conceptual world appears to be a “system of force and oppression.” Psychopaths reach such a conclusion as a rule. (PP, p. 127)
In such people, a dream emerges like some utopia of a “happy” world and a social system which will not reject them or force them to submit to laws and customs whose meaning is incomprehensible to them. They dream of a world in which their simple and radical way of experiencing and perceiving reality would dominate—where they would, of course, be assured safety and prosperity. (PP, p. 125)"
I such tragically messed up people everywhere on the internet today. And not many in my personal life.
"The masses latch on to it as the means to end their anxiety, vent their aggression, and achieve the “justice” they feel they have been denied. The attractor is simple: a better world, otherwise undefined. The details don’t need to be clear, but goal is noble, in their minds. But different people turn their inner gaze toward different attractors. “'Better' is open to interpretation"
What this information underlines is the Species of the 'human' animal, aka Homo-Sapiens (is) fatally flawed and inveterately nihilistic....as the glaring light of history exposes.
Personally, I think that's an overly cynical take. For sure, a segment of the species is like that, and our history is full of immense suffering, but there are also lights among the darkness.
After eight and one half decades 'living' on this crazy planet, it's difficult NOT to be a cynic -with curmudgeonistic tendencies. LOL! There does seem to be some "light among the darkness", but that 'segment' clearly seems to be a minority.
And it seems, history indicates that (mass) intellectual indolence will - unfortunately - NOT drastically change for the better, which causes this writer a deep, profound sadness.
It's undeniable that there was actually a coordinated, world-wide, vicious conspiracy to deny safe, effective drugs to treat Covid. Even if these drugs were ineffective-- which the evidence refutes-- there was never any need for vicious suppression due to their excellent safety profiles. I'm talking about hydroxychoroquine and ivermectin, mostly. Studies to "prove" how dangerous hydroxychloroquine was, were made up; the medical journals were in on it, which should surprise no one who had been following the degradation of the medical journals.
There was a vicious suppression of contrary public health evidence regarding lockdowns and school closures, etc.
There was 24/7 media fear porn about Covid.
In short, mass formation was induced through a conspiracy to induce fear and anxiety, likely with the hope of introducing vaccine passports, one way that a system of monitoring and managing the population could be introduced.
Does the author believe that there is no coordinated attempt to introduce a system of track/trace, and a social credit system for the entire world? One can't manage what one can't monitor. But the people doing this have an ideology that is indeed different from the ideology of people who value freedom. Desmet wants us to believe that these people (conspirators) don't really exist, or if they do, they're just like us (part of the world of mechanistic thinkers.)
"Desmet wants us to believe that these people (conspirators) don't really exist, or if they do, they're just like us (part of the world of mechanistic thinkers.)"
It's not the former, but the latter. He's very open in the book that such conspirators do exist. The main flaw in his argument is that he does think they're "just like us."
Well said! Conspiracists certainly understand go-alongism and 'falling in line", or 'mass formation', and they count on it and use it. It's obviously both conspiracy and mass formation at once and on a large scale.
Desmet definitely discounts conspiracy...I wonder if he's read a good book on the JFK assassination like JFK And The Unspeakable, where conspiracy clearly rises to the surface, including the cover-up.
Or how to explain the constant integration of propaganda that meshes with foreign policy, when the propaganda precedes the actions and permeates ALL levels of society, especially entertainment, and those that own the propagandistic media are all from the same social class and all own the armament factories and 95% of the political process and the government. Conspiracy denied , or "everything is mass formation caused by the subconscious longings of individuals", is as simplistic as "conspiracy everywhere". Every action or event always fits the mass formation theory, but in an even more evanescent, and even less evidentiary fashion!
The following book is historically undeniable and exposes the conspiracy so artfully hidden.
Little mass formation here, except maybe in the almost completely willing participation of the aggressor party's society. Lot's of devious diplomacy, blackmail, coercion and planning ahead. That ain't mass formation. It's pure evil. The conspiracy can create the mass formation. duh.
Hypnosis works in stages: and requires Hypnotist(s) and Subject(s).
"They simply need to be thinking and acting in the same direction, akin to following the rule for placement of the next dot in the Sierpinksi triangle, unaware of the final form their actions will take."
The LOCKSTEP actions we are seeing across the West now, instigated by all or most of the leftwing puppet politicians? Following the group rule for placement of the next dot?
I realize I am two years late on commenting here. But seeing as the series remains posted, comments appear to be a possibility still.
"As with drawing the Sierpinski triangle, if everyone follows the same rules, it results in strictly regular patterns emerging in society."
A totalitarian group deals swiftly to punish any questioners or dissenters to their group narrative. They will shun, smear, punish. I consider modern Cancel Culture a society-wide form of this.
To consider the reverse, would it dissuade totalitarianism, in this sense, to overtly fail to follow the rules?
"Rather, crowds are complex dynamic social phenomena, like murmurations of starlings. Whatever is going on, it isn’t conscious or rationally developed, but rather follows certain implicit rules. As Desmet writes, 'the individual soul is replaced by a common group soul' (PT, p. 125)."
The common group soul? I have long called it a hive-mind. Similar idea. Even biologist Richard Dawkins acknowledged in "The Selfish Gene" that there are mysterious processes of information transfer amongst humanity which have nothing to do with genes. He began referring to this as a mind-virus. We have all seen ideas/fashions leaping to life and spreading quickly within the vehicle of groups, whether they be normal groups or dysfunctional mass formations.
There is also the concept of unresolved trauma being passed down inter-generationally. Dr. Rachel Yehuda surmises it is epigenetic. I do not know the vehicle, but I have indeed seen it.
Rupert Sheldrake and his Morphic Resonance come to mind here.
My favorite part of your review series so far. Thank you!
These pieces rang especially true:
"To individuals with various psychological deviations, such a social structure [i.e. law-based] dominated by normal people and their conceptual world appears to be a “system of force and oppression.” Psychopaths reach such a conclusion as a rule. (PP, p. 127)
In such people, a dream emerges like some utopia of a “happy” world and a social system which will not reject them or force them to submit to laws and customs whose meaning is incomprehensible to them. They dream of a world in which their simple and radical way of experiencing and perceiving reality would dominate—where they would, of course, be assured safety and prosperity. (PP, p. 125)"
I such tragically messed up people everywhere on the internet today. And not many in my personal life.
Media gives them a lot of attention.
Cultivating the phenomenon?
I see it like a subculture. You don't ordinarily see it in regular life. But everything's visible on social media.
"The masses latch on to it as the means to end their anxiety, vent their aggression, and achieve the “justice” they feel they have been denied. The attractor is simple: a better world, otherwise undefined. The details don’t need to be clear, but goal is noble, in their minds. But different people turn their inner gaze toward different attractors. “'Better' is open to interpretation"
Immense explanatory power
What this information underlines is the Species of the 'human' animal, aka Homo-Sapiens (is) fatally flawed and inveterately nihilistic....as the glaring light of history exposes.
Personally, I think that's an overly cynical take. For sure, a segment of the species is like that, and our history is full of immense suffering, but there are also lights among the darkness.
After eight and one half decades 'living' on this crazy planet, it's difficult NOT to be a cynic -with curmudgeonistic tendencies. LOL! There does seem to be some "light among the darkness", but that 'segment' clearly seems to be a minority.
And it seems, history indicates that (mass) intellectual indolence will - unfortunately - NOT drastically change for the better, which causes this writer a deep, profound sadness.
I agree with your pet peeve above. Always seemed to me a stupid method of finding out the truth. Though many people act as if it is gospel.
It's undeniable that there was actually a coordinated, world-wide, vicious conspiracy to deny safe, effective drugs to treat Covid. Even if these drugs were ineffective-- which the evidence refutes-- there was never any need for vicious suppression due to their excellent safety profiles. I'm talking about hydroxychoroquine and ivermectin, mostly. Studies to "prove" how dangerous hydroxychloroquine was, were made up; the medical journals were in on it, which should surprise no one who had been following the degradation of the medical journals.
There was a vicious suppression of contrary public health evidence regarding lockdowns and school closures, etc.
There was 24/7 media fear porn about Covid.
In short, mass formation was induced through a conspiracy to induce fear and anxiety, likely with the hope of introducing vaccine passports, one way that a system of monitoring and managing the population could be introduced.
Does the author believe that there is no coordinated attempt to introduce a system of track/trace, and a social credit system for the entire world? One can't manage what one can't monitor. But the people doing this have an ideology that is indeed different from the ideology of people who value freedom. Desmet wants us to believe that these people (conspirators) don't really exist, or if they do, they're just like us (part of the world of mechanistic thinkers.)
"Desmet wants us to believe that these people (conspirators) don't really exist, or if they do, they're just like us (part of the world of mechanistic thinkers.)"
It's not the former, but the latter. He's very open in the book that such conspirators do exist. The main flaw in his argument is that he does think they're "just like us."
I'd say that's a fairly large misunderstanding of social psychology on Desmet's part.
Which is why he should read Political Ponerology and subscribe to Harrison’s substack! :-)
Well said! Conspiracists certainly understand go-alongism and 'falling in line", or 'mass formation', and they count on it and use it. It's obviously both conspiracy and mass formation at once and on a large scale.
Desmet definitely discounts conspiracy...I wonder if he's read a good book on the JFK assassination like JFK And The Unspeakable, where conspiracy clearly rises to the surface, including the cover-up.
Or how to explain the constant integration of propaganda that meshes with foreign policy, when the propaganda precedes the actions and permeates ALL levels of society, especially entertainment, and those that own the propagandistic media are all from the same social class and all own the armament factories and 95% of the political process and the government. Conspiracy denied , or "everything is mass formation caused by the subconscious longings of individuals", is as simplistic as "conspiracy everywhere". Every action or event always fits the mass formation theory, but in an even more evanescent, and even less evidentiary fashion!
The following book is historically undeniable and exposes the conspiracy so artfully hidden.
"Hidden History: The Secret Origins of the First World War". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17307153-hidden-history
Little mass formation here, except maybe in the almost completely willing participation of the aggressor party's society. Lot's of devious diplomacy, blackmail, coercion and planning ahead. That ain't mass formation. It's pure evil. The conspiracy can create the mass formation. duh.
Hypnosis works in stages: and requires Hypnotist(s) and Subject(s).
book by Gerry Docherty,
James MacGregor
Thanks for your writing. excellent stuff. Peace.