The True Believer Audiobook By Eric Hoffer cover art

The True Believer

Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements

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The True Believer

By: Eric Hoffer
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
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About this listen

“Its theme is political fanaticism, with which it deals severely and brilliantly.” —New Yorker

The famous bestseller with “concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement” (Wall Street Journal) by the legendary San Francisco longshoreman.

A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer—the first and most famous of his books—was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.

Called a “brilliant and original inquiry” and “a genuine contribution to our social thought” by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., this landmark in the field of social psychology is completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today as it delivers a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.

©2011 Eric Hoffer (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers
Philosophy Political Science Politics & Government Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Psychology & Interactions Society Dwight Eisenhower New York
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Thought-provoking Insights • Compelling Arguments • Informative Theory • Mind-stretching Gems • Valid Points
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I had the sense that not everyone feels like they were born wrong. Yet it’s still odd to have it spelled out in such detail. I’d say, “Must be nice”, but it kind of sounds awful to be so wedded to yourself.

Is everyone not like this?

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This was a very thought-provoking book. I wish I’d read it 40 years ago. It explains a lot about politics at every level, local, national, international, formal, and informal.

Warning – frustrated humans will follow whoever promises to end frustration.

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That a 75 year old observation is still accurate today — many parts could have been written after 2022

Old truths can be more accurate than new truth

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A master piece that insightfully breaks down human nature in ways I hadn’t thought of. I’d give it more than 5 stars if that was an option.

A MUST READ especially if you’re a curious intellectual

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The book contains many valuable observations , I’d recommend it to anyone who fiks the subject interesting

Interesting point of view

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Over all I think that Mr. Hoffer makes some very valid points and is very informative in presenting his own theory (he admits his book is theoretical) in a very compelling manner. As someone who has been a historian for almost 20 years I can safely say that a good number of his conclusions are rather accurate.

However, I do not approve or appreciate his twisting the words of Christ to make him sound just as Pro Violence and destructive as Lenin or Marx were. It is clear from his tone that he has a certain distain for both religon and for the Political left. However he mostly stays focused on the causes of mass movements and the types of people who often gravitate towards them.

While I do not agree with all his conclusions I do give him credit for presenting an excellent (if theoretical) explenation for why movements start and who the types of people are who end to join them.

Very Good if a little biased

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An outstanding series of meditations on the phenomena of mass movements - how they begin and why their adherents join. No one comes close, in my opinion, in explaining these events as well as Hoffer does.

Narration by Fred Sanders is clear and not rushed. Excellent.

A Modern Masterpiece of Sociology

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This book is full of gems that stretch your mind. Brilliant breathe of historical examples.

Packed with wisdom

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Excellent insights into the dark side of human nature and eye opening analysis of motivations and techniques for the different players in mass movements. The idea presented is that the fanatics of a mass movements are self-loathing nihilists of the present that are substituting an “eternal” group identity for the self. Radicals and reactionaries are essentially the same with one focused on a future utopia or past glory. It is the people who are satisfied with the present with some moderate success in life that are the antidote to mass movements both radical and reactionary.

Enlightening and scary

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This book has made me reevaluate my beliefs. Humans are a race of groups. It would seem all groups are dynamic and prone to corruption.

awakening

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