Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind: A Bridge Between Mind and SocietyWhat might you have done if you had been caught up in the Holocaust? In My Lai? In Rwanda? Confronted with acts of violence and evil on scales grand and small, we ask ourselves, baffled, how such horrors can happen--how human beings seemingly like ourselves can commit such atrocities. The answer, I. W. Charny suggests in this important new work, may be found in each one of us, in the different and distinct ways in which we organize our minds. An internationally recognized scholar of the psychology of violence, Charny defines two paradigms of mental organization, the democratic and the fascist, and shows how these systems can determine behavior in intimate relationships, social situations, and events of global significance. With its novel conception of mental health and illness, this book develops new directions for diagnosis and treatment of emotional disorders that are played out in everyday acts of violence against ourselves and others. Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind also offers much-needed insight into the sources and workings of terrorism and genocide. A sane, radical statement about the guiding principles underlying acts of violence and evil, this book sounds a passionate call for the democratic way of thinking, which recognizes complexity, embraces responsibility, and affirms life. |
From inside the book
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... oneself is to abandon the other and sentence oneself to loneliness , they break off love relationships that shouldn't be ended ( which I have been convinced is the case in a surprising number of divorces that might well have been ...
... oneself and then similarly for others . The sacredness of life is an overriding categorical imperative . On the level of society , the respected social psychologist researcher of aggression , Albert Bandura , concludes : Given the ...
... oneself and of other human beings , begin- ning quite naturally , even if apparently selfishly , with concern for oneself and one's closest loved ones , but continuing on to genuine caring for all humanity . Judgments of actions are ...
Contents
The Choice between Fascism and Democracy | 11 |
The Choice between FASCIST MIND | 53 |
Totality Overcertainty | 79 |
Copyright | |
11 other sections not shown
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Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind: A Bridge Between Mind and Society Israel W. Charny No preview available - 2008 |