Political Ponerology - New Edition (Now Available!)

Jones said:
Remembering my first reading of PP when there were so many concepts that seemed hard to understand but became much clearer on re-reading and through discussion here from those who had great clarity on the subject and how all of that helped to see the world more objectively, I'm really looking forward to this book and am sure the ideas won't feel as obscure with the new edition.

As an aside, I never imagined would at the beginning of this exercise that I'd have a reading list that does this :lol:

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Tim Tam? Where? I want one!


Congratulations on the new version. It is true, the book is a little complicated to read, but I agree, if the new version is easier it is a good idea to have put energy and time for it! Thank you!
 
Approaching Infinity said:
Michael Rectenwald had his review of the book published on mises.org. (It's a version of the foreword he wrote for the book.) Here it is:

The Science of Evil: A Personal Review of Political Ponerology | Mises Institute

The literary accounts and studies of the Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and Nazi Germany necessarily failed to grasp the root of the problem—namely, the
mises.org mises.org
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Nice review. I myself felt there was a need to expand on and provide more context for the original edition and perhaps simplify the translation.

The first edition was a difficult read for two reasons - the use of technical words (some of which had been invented by the author) to provide an exact explanation of the phenomenon because of the lack of words for them in the regular/natural language of daily use and also because the reader needs to have a basic background for the subject through prior reading about time under communism (which can be found in books such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago and others also mentioned in Political Ponerology’s referenced books).

What helped me understand Political Ponerology (after giving up on reading it, twice) was to slow down and look up the exact definition of every word I didn’t understand in a dictionary rather than assuming I could pick up the meaning from the context. Slowing down and checking my understanding of a word against the dictionary helped me clarify the concepts that were being expounded to a much greater extent. There are certain psychology related/new words which have meanings in footnotes but for the majority a good Oxford dictionary can really improve reading comprehension even if the process is time consuming. I guess the Kindle version will make it easier to do this lookup exercise. It may not be needed if you have an excellent vocabulary but was certainly beneficial for me.

Secondly it would be a good activity to lay the groundwork for reading this book by understanding the experiences of the people who lived under the rule of psychopathological individuals. Like I mentioned, for me this book made more sense after reading Gulag Archipelago which deals with communism in Russia, Maus - Nazi genocide of Jews (and other books on similar topics mentioned in the bibliography or in Prof Jordan Peterson’s list of most influential books - Ordinary Men, The Rape of Nanking, The painted bird (entire list can be found here). These books will provide a visceral, emotional understanding of the lives of people under pathocratic dictators and their ponerological impact on society for which Political Poneorology will provide the intellectual, scientific psychological reasons (as opposed to the usual moral arguments about good/evil).

If the new edition provides better context and simplifies the reading experience for users then it is a service to all as the subject matter is super important and relevant for all times.
 
Laura said:
Brilliant. He really gets it.
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In this excerpt of the review of Michael Rectenwald, it is indeed important to keep in mind, why the majority of people have been so easily indoctrinated, why people we have known for years have swallowed all these lies, and spat them in our faces without remorse, first for the Plandemia, then the Putin killer, and the bad russians...
Speaking of ideology, Political Ponerology explains a phenomenon that had vexed me. How did Communist ideologues manage to convince the masses that they undertook their crimes for “the workers,” “the people,” or egalitarianism? But even more perplexing, how did the ideologues convince themselves that their crimes were for the good of the common man? Łobaczewski explains that totalitarian ideology operates on two levels; the terms of the original ideology are taken at face value by true believers, while the party insiders substitute secondary meanings for the same terms, and normal people are subjected to gaslighting. Only the cognoscenti, the psychopaths, know and understand the secondary meanings. They recognize that actions purportedly undertaken on behalf of “the workers” translate into the domination of the party and the state on behalf of the psychopaths themselves. The truth is the opposite of what the party insiders claim to be the case, and they know it. Political Ponerology thus explains the origin of “doublespeak,” which George Orwell portrays so well. Coincidentally, Łobaczewski finished Political Ponerology in 1984.
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That's because they didn't want to, or just didn't read PP yet!
😸
Thank you very much, Harrison, for this new edition right in time, which I can't wait to put on my bedside table with the first one.
Reading Political Ponerology thus constitutes an extended therapy session for those struggling to maintain their own sanity and humanity in the midst of insanity and inhumanity. It did for me.

Thus begins “an overall therapy of the world”
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Approaching Infinity said:
Michael Rectenwald had his review of the book published on mises.org. (It's a version of the foreword he wrote for the book.) Here it is:

The Science of Evil: A Personal Review of Political Ponerology | Mises Institute

The literary accounts and studies of the Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and Nazi Germany necessarily failed to grasp the root of the problem—namely, the
mises.org mises.org
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Now also on Epoch Times:

www.theepochtimes.com

The Science of Evil: A Personal Review of ‘Political Ponerology’

www.theepochtimes.com www.theepochtimes.com
 
Ordered PP through my local book dealer two weeks ago, and it only took a week to arrive. This book is a jewel. I've gotten as far as page 27, finding it much easier to read and comprehend than the original. In fact, I never got past the first ten pages of the first edition. Imo, it's well written, the sections well laid out and concise, and the cover is a real eye-catcher. Unfortunately, I got side-tracked by the Ukraine-Russia thread or I probably would have completed it by now.
IMHO, a must-read for serious students of psychology and anyone who is genuinely concerned about the dysfunctional state of our world.

Congrats Harrison, and everyone who contributed to this second edition.:read::cool::cool2:
 
Redrock12 said:
Ordered PP through my local book dealer two weeks ago, and it only took a week to arrive. This book is a jewel. I've gotten as far as page 27, finding it much easier to read and comprehend than the original. In fact, I never got past the first ten pages of the first edition. Imo, it's well written, the sections well laid out and concise, and the cover is a real eye-catcher. Unfortunately, I got side-tracked by the Ukraine-Russia thread or I probably would have completed it by now.
IMHO, a must-read for serious students of psychology and anyone who is genuinely concerned about the dysfunctional state of our world.

Congrats Harrison, and everyone who contributed to this second edition.:read::cool::cool2:
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That's awesome Redrock12, thanks for the feedback! With some editing, that would make a great Amazon review. ;-D
 
Approaching Infinity said:
That's awesome Redrock12, thanks for the feedback! With some editing, that would make a great Amazon review. ;-D
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Did you want to do the editing @Approaching Infinity, or myself? As well, I am not subscribed to Amazon so not sure I can write an Amazon review.
As well, I think I should read the entire book before I write a review.
Would appreciate some advice. Nevet wrote a review before.
 
Redrock12 said:
Did you want to do the editing @Approaching Infinity, or myself? As well, I am not subscribed to Amazon so not sure I can write an Amazon review.
As well, I think I should read the entire book before I write a review.
Would appreciate some advice. Nevet wrote a review before.
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Well, if you don't have an Amazon account, don't worry about it. (Thought I think you can create one easily to put reviews - not sure.) As for editing, I just had in mind something like this:
This book is a jewel. I'm finding it much easier to read and comprehend than the original. In fact, I never got past the first ten pages of the first edition. It's well written, the sections well laid out and concise, and the cover is a real eye-catcher. IMHO, a must-read for serious students of psychology and anyone who is genuinely concerned about the dysfunctional state of our world.
Click to expand...
 
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