The Crowd A Study of the Popular Mind Gustav Le Bon 9781540408150 Books
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Le Bon's superb and innovative study of crowd psychology is published here without abridgment.
First appearing in the 1890s, Gustav Le Bon's account of the crowd is an important work of early psychology. In life, Le Bon was famous for mastering aspects of several scientific disciplines, forging progress in each. This is true with his investigations on crowd and group psychology, which he compiled in this book.
In this treatise, Le Bon identifies a number of common characteristics all crowds possess
The first part, Le Bon examines the mental characteristics of all crowds. Whether they possess moral constraints, can adopt ideas or reason out circumstances, or carry a potential of religious undercurrent is investigated.
The second part investigates the various beliefs and sentiments which can develop within a crowd. What opinions a crowd may form about aspects remote to it, and close to it, are discussed. All are impeccably and comprehensively categorized by Le Bon, who turns to each in detail.
The book's final stages classify various different crowds. He discusses types of crowd defined as criminal - such as rioters and looters, before turning to groups such as criminal juries, and the crowds present at political rallies and elections. Finally, the behavior of elected officials in crowded assembly rooms is also considered.
While partly theoretical, Le Bon's examinations of The Crowd as an entity remains valuable in the modern day. He identified the impulsive behavior, irritability and poverty of reason present in a typical crowd, and characterized those within a crowd as being under a type of frenzied hypnosis.
The Crowd A Study of the Popular Mind Gustav Le Bon 9781540408150 Books
I was completely disappointed with this book. I was expecting more of the incredible insights contained in another late 1800's book that I'd just read, Theory of the Leisure Class, by Thorstein Veblen, but Le Bon's book was in no way comparable. I don't know what kind of crowds he studied, but his observations about individuals becoming more stupid in a crowd didn't register with me as a revelation. By the end of the book I thought of him as the Rush Limbaugh of the late 1800s.Product details
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Tags : The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind [Gustav Le Bon] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>Le Bon's superb and innovative study of crowd psychology is published here without abridgment.</b> </br> First appearing in the 1890s,Gustav Le Bon,The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1540408159,Applied Psychology,PSYCHOLOGY Applied Psychology,Psychology
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The Crowd A Study of the Popular Mind Gustav Le Bon 9781540408150 Books Reviews
Very interesting book in social psychology. I lost my original college copy and wanted to re-read it and compare and contrast this to Black lives Matter, the liberal left and the Republican party.
1) I very much liked the discussion of the different modes of education & instruction and their role in society. I also found instructive the discussion of the different meanings of the word "democracy" between the Latin peoples and the Anglo-Saxon ones.
2) At location 357, he writes, "Crowds are everywhere distinguished by feminine characteristics, but Latin crowds are the most feminine of all. Whoever trusts in them may rapidly attain a lofty destiny, but to do so is to be perpetually skirting the brink of a Tarpeian rock, with the certainty of one day being precipitated from it." And at location 485, he writes, "Like women, a throng goes at once to extremes." I take these two comments as an insult to women, albeit written in 1895.
3) At location 461, he writes, "Works of history must be considered as works of pure imagination. They are fanciful accounts of ill-observed facts, accompanied by explanations the result of reflection. To write such books is the most absolute waste of time." And at location 479, he writes, "history is scarcely capable of preserving the memory of anything except myths." Well, I wouldn't go that far, and I think serious historians wouldn't agree with him either.
Then, at location 697, he writes, "It was by becoming a Catholic," said Napoleon to the Council of State, "that I terminated the Vendeen war. By becoming a Mussulman that I obtained a footing in Egypt. By becoming an Ultramontane that I won over the Italian priests, and had I to govern a nation of Jews I would rebuild Solomon's temple."
How do you justify the validity of this quote (and several others like it throughout the book) in light of what he wrote above at locations 461 & 479?!!!!
4) At location 771, he writes, "Illumined one day by the light of reason, he broke the images of divinities and saints that adorned the altar of a chapel, extinguished the candles, and, without losing a moment, replaced the destroyed objects by the works of atheistic philosophers such as Buchner and Moleschott, after which he piously relighted the candles. The object of his religious beliefs had been transformed, but can it be truthfully said that his religious sentiments had changed?"
My answer is, "Yes, it can." Worshiping divinities and saints is not the same as valuing and respecting science and reason. If we follow his logic, no body would be allowed to believe enthusiastically in anything for fear of being labeled a fanatic.
5) At location 1164, he writes, "The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim." This quote reminds me of Trump & his "alternative facts".
6) At location 1180, he writes, "To bring about the recognition that Protection ruins the nations who adopt it, at least twenty years of disastrous experience will be needful." This message seems to be directed at Trump from the late 19th century.
7) At location 1337, he writes, "Brain disorders, like madness, are themselves contagious. The frequency of madness among doctors who are specialists for the mad is notorious. Indeed, forms of madness have recently been cited—agoraphobia, for instance—which are communicable from men to animals." I very much dispute the accuracy of these statements.
8) The classification of crowds starting at location 1679 is very disorganized and confusing.
The Crowd is the most highlighted book on my kindle. Le Bon heaps one penetrating insight upon another in this timeless masterpiece. It is as depressing as it is uplifting; I do not recommend it to people with weak stomachs or to naive humanists with delusions about the inherent goodness of humanity. Likewise though who think of democracy as a natural and sustainable system should avoid this book, lest they become flustered from momentum of its case. Cognitive dissonance is a terrible illness and Le Bon is bound to to give it to a few naive readers. I do not recommend it to elitists who cannot see that they are also members of The Crowd. If you are at all interested in any branch of the humanities this belongs in your library. Plus, you can't beat the price!
The Mind was written over a century ago but its insights remain relevant today. Le Bon provides entertaining analysis of the characteristics of crowds. His primary thesis is that crowds become entities that surpass any of the individual members and essentially take on a life of their own. He also provides compelling details about the types of men that rise to govern and lead crowds. What is so remarkable about this book is the fact that it was written before, but provides such a spot on depiction of what would come to be with Hitler and Germany during WWII. That horrific fact of history makes the book worth reading. On the downside, one observation that does disqualify the book as a whole is Le Bon's diminution of women.
The ending is superb. I will not give it away, but his focus on the erosion of individual liberty and the extreme dangers it poses is very relevant today and his accounting of the cycle of all civilizations is thought provoking and astute. It also contributes to the much needed warnings of the dangers of concentrating powers.
I was completely disappointed with this book. I was expecting more of the incredible insights contained in another late 1800's book that I'd just read, Theory of the Leisure Class, by Thorstein Veblen, but Le Bon's book was in no way comparable. I don't know what kind of crowds he studied, but his observations about individuals becoming more stupid in a crowd didn't register with me as a revelation. By the end of the book I thought of him as the Rush Limbaugh of the late 1800s.
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