The Psychology of Totalitarianism

This a a book by an academic trying to introduce complex ideas in layman's terms. He largely succeeds, but you have to be willing to do a little work to get through it. It is dense, full of important ideas, deeply analytical and fundamentally disturbing.His critique of sense-materialism being at the root of our societal collapse is exactly right. We have replaced science with scientistm which is a religion in drag (and a pretty terrible religion at that).A lot of the scientism drones will use his examples from the COV-19 pandemic response as "anti science" but he is no such thing. He is an expert in statistics, scientific methods, and clinical psychology;. He brings these weapons to bear to shine a light on these perversions of science and the destruction of the human spirit.This is it probably the most important book I've read in the past decade. It provides a clear and ordered understanding of just why Western societies are imploding as they have been.Buy this, read this, and absorb it.

Absolutely brilliant. Not only is this work critical to understanding the dynamics of what is occurring in the world today, Desmet has achieved the rare feat of making a deeply intellectual discussion thoroughly practical. (I also must say that Desmet’s writing is a thing of beauty. Despite its weighty subject matter and mind-blowing implications, it was a pure pleasure to read.)Sure. This book might not be the political tome that some hoped for. However, political tomes are a dime a dozen. This analysis, by contrast, is foundational. Indeed, part of the angst (for lack of a better word) caused by the global pandemic response, both by governments and the masses, is that none of the observed phenomena can be understood, at all, through politics. Yet here we are.There’s a great deal of hope in the truth that totalitarian regimes always implode and that remaining (or becoming) a dissident can at least slow the advent of atrocities. That fact is not chopped liver. Rather, it’s wonderfully liberating for those who accept it. We can’t crush the regime (global or local). Nor can we “take back” anything. That is fact. Once the totalitarian regime is established, it must exhaust and extinguish itself. On the other hand, we are not powerless. Our honorable and effective contribution to the implosion process is to remain dissident, hold ground, and remember that even little acts of speaking out are poignant and magnified in these times.Indeed, internalizing the fact that all your “little” acts of speaking truth do make a tremendous difference to the lifecycle of the totalitarian regime is exhilarating.While much of the analysis here is set out as the mass vs. the truth-speakers, in a more primitive sense it’s the fearful vs. the fearless. Specifically, those who dreadfully fear death vs. those who, for whatever reason, don’t. (Not that any of us are free of fear, but the old adage applies: courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the determination to keep going anyway.)But this shows up a terrible irony. Clearly, there is an inverse relationship between fear and compassion. This inversion is at its zenith when it regards death. The more a person is whipped up to fear his own death, the less compassion he has on the dying. See seniors dying alone, without even any human touch, and no one within the mass cared. The response to children forcibly being carried off and “prophylactically” imprisoned. Much worse scenarios could be stated. The fear-generated lack of compassion becomes ruthless on every level.Dr. McCullough talks often about the crisis of compassion among doctors and health care workers during the pandemic, at times to the point that he shed tears. The anti-human policies that were accepted are a testament to the power wielded through mass fear. A doctor who is part of the mass is suddenly psychologically able to hard-heartedly tell patients “no, you’re not allowed to even try that medicine,” even if the patient is dying and, under non-mass circumstances, the doctor would have been quick to prescribe that med for off-label use.As fear burgeons and becomes the organizing principle of the mass, compassion plummets. Multiply that times a million individuals in various positions of power and authority—all in an intensely enforced positive feedback loop—and the mass becomes ruthless and brutal indeed.Thus, it should come as no shock that those who integrate into the mass fear are stripped of their humanity first. Then they strip the Other.But, again, the good news here is that no matter how overwhelming the mass may appear, history proves its vulnerabilities. There’s value in buying time and delaying the atrocities. There’s moral and practical value in speaking the truth in ways large and small, matter-of-factly declining to go along, in love, in living without fear of death. Light, no matter how small, does extinguish darkness. Thank you, Professor Desmet.

Mattais is a genius; the way he explains oblique issues is uncanny and shockingly clear. Well done

I devoted my entire career to scientific research. Some reviewers have attacked this book with the claim that it is against science. That is simply not true:The desire for certainty about the future evolved before humans did. Before Edison, people had long nights to look at the heavens. And there they discovered repeating patterns: predictability! Stone-age peoples erected poles with locations that marked important, repeating events.Newton came up with a theory and equations for these patterns, and with the development of machines, the universe came to be viewed as a giant, predictable machine with no uncertainties in its movements.What Desmet attacks is the bastardization of the mechanical universe into the belief, such as Marxism, that the increasing control over nature achieved under the mechanical universe model meant that nature could be completely controlled and society and mankind could be made perfect.But, as Desmet briefly reviews, in the 20th century the mechanical universe was proven to be too simple, i. e., untrue. Many people who do not understand that "science" is not a bundle of definite truths, but a method for getting a better understanding. Under the fear of covid, many of these people latched onto "science" as their salvation, without understanding, without wanting to know, that their "science" was not truth, but simply something to make them feel safer. This blind desire for the emotional security obtained by latching onto "science" is what Desmet's book attempts--with much success-to interpret and explain.

Desmet shows absolutely monumental insight to the current state of the world philosophy and ideology. This very valuable insight though is sandwiched between absolute drivel drawn from his experience as a clinical psychologist. Like most in his profession he has wonderful insight of others but lacks the same in himself. For example, chapter 5 is almost all nonsense as an example because as a Dutchman he is totally captured by the Dutch Roman concept of law and justice in his analysis. For those with a culture of British Common law it is difficult to follow.Like another clinical psychologist, Jordan Peterson, it seems Desmet gives the reason to become a Christian without admitting he is going there. At times I was unsure in the use of the word "Other" he was referring to God, mother, authority or who knows what. I think it is a product of Desmet wanting to believe but being afraid. He quotes "others" stating their belief in God?This is well worth the read as a philosophy book to help make sense of our now world. It is not what I was expecting in opinion and solution to the current cultural chaos. I hope Desmet writes a follow-up (with a better editor.)

My father is a long retired British diplomat but part of the British intelligence community albeit his area of expertise was counter intelligence that includes deception and misinformation. I recognise it and have for decades. Most don’t!!! And this book?? Explains how if not the why. For the why, get Limits to growth and try to put two and two together!!! Because when threatened intelligence isn’t just the eyes and ears of Government, it becomes the brains as well and the politicians? Mere actors on the screen. The TV. Like a movie, all is not as it may appear.

El libro provee información válida y poco repetitiva. Otros libros repiten lo mismo durante 300 páginas. Este propone muchas cosas y todo el libro está justificado.

This is a well written book by Mattias as he takes the reader through the human condition ,the psychology of mass formation and the mechanics that runs totalitarian structures ,i was genuinely surprised by the insight that the author has towards the understanding of man and his interaction with society/nature,i would have given out 5 stars if not for the one chapter on conspiracy theory , it was very hard to read as i had skip it entirely ,if there is a second edition perhaps Matias could look into it more deeper or perhaps remove this chapter as its the only blight in otherwise a classic book , my issue being that he is very dismissive of theory of conspirators but on reading the signs ,it is hard to ignore the signs which are staring at us ,anyway its a refreshing read and highly recommended !

Excellente réflexion sur la situation mondiale actuelle et du pourquoi on en est arrivés là.C'est pensé, sourcé, à la fois passionnant et un peu inquiétant.Mathias Desmet propose une vision qui abandonne complètement l'idée de puissances machiavéliques à l'oeuvre pour nous présenter une sorte d'évolution naturelle de la société qui découle du modèle de pensée qu'elle s'est construit durant les Lumières et qui aboutit de façon mécanique à la catastrophe.A mon avis, le PFH est un peu trop minimisé mais c'est quand même hyper intéressant et ça offre de vraies perspectives et prises de conscience.