Political Ponerology Quotes

“They – psychopath and part psychopath – do well in the more unscrupulous types of sales work, because they take such delight in ‘putting it over on them’, getting away with it – and have so little conscience about defrauding their customers.” Our society is fast becoming more materialistic, and success at any cost is the credo of many businessmen. The typical psychopath thrives in this kind of environment and is seen as a business “hero”.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“if an individual in a position of political power is a psychopath, he or she can create an epidemic of psychopathology in people who are not, essentially, psychopathic.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“However, there have always been “society pedagogues”, less outstanding but more numerous, who have become fascinated by their own great ideas, which might, sometimes, even be true, but are more often constricted or contain the taint of some hidden pathological thought processes. Such people have always striven to impose pedagogical methods which would impoverish and deform the development of individuals’ and societies’ psychological world view; they inflict permanent harm upon societies, depriving them of universally useful values. By claiming to act in the name of a more valuable idea, such pedagogues actually undermine the values they claim and open the door for destructive ideologies. At the same time, as we have already mentioned, each society contains a small but active minority of persons with various deviant worldviews, especially in the areas treated above, which are caused either by psychological anomalies, to be discussed below, or by the long-term influence of such anomalies upon their psyches, especially during childhood. Such people later exert a pernicious influence upon the formative process of the psychological world view in society, whether by direct activity or by means of written or other transmission, especially if they engage in the service of some ideology or other.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“Politics is no exception, and, by its very nature, would tend to attract more of the pathological “dominator types” than other fields. That is only logical, and we began to realize that it was not only logical, it was horrifyingly accurate; horrifying because pathology among people in power can have disastrous effects on all of the people under the control of such pathological individuals.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“Whether you know it or not, each and every day your life is touched by the effects of psychopathy on our world.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“Reversive blockade: Emphatically insisting upon something which is the opposite of the truth blocks the average person’s mind from perceiving the truth. In accordance with the dictates of healthy common sense, he starts searching for meaning in the “golden mean” between the truth and its opposite, winding up with some satisfactory counterfeit. People who think like this do not realize that this effect is precisely the intent of the person who subjects them to this method. If the counterfeit of the truth is the opposite of a moral truth, at the same time, it simultaneously represents an extreme paramoralism, and bears its peculiar suggestiveness.

We rarely see this method being used by normal people; even if raised by the people who abused it; they usually only indicate its results in their characteristic difficulties in apprehending reality properly. Use of this method can be included within the above-mentioned special psychological knowledge developed by psychopaths concerning the weaknesses of human nature and the art of leading others into error. Where they are in rule, this method is used with virtuosity, and to an extent conterminous with their power.”
― Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“In the face of increasing pressures to perform at a level unattainable for them, and in fear of being discovered as incompetent, they begin to direct attacks against anyone with greater talent or skill, removing them from appropriate posts and playing an active role in degrading their social and professional adjustment.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“I think it is more helpful to characterize criminal psychopaths as “unsuccessful psychopaths”.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“The following question derives from the above comparison: Can the human hive inhabiting our globe achieve sufficient comprehension of macrosocial pathological phenomenon which is so dangerous, abhorrent, and fascinating at the same time, before it is too late?”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“At the same time, such people easily interpenetrate the social structure with a ramified [14] network of mutual pathological conspiracies poorly connected to the main social structure. These people and their networks participate in the genesis of that evil which spares no nation. This substructure gives birth to dreams of obtaining power and imposing one’s will upon society, and is quite often actually brought about in various countries, and during historical times as well.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“We also began to realize that the profiles that emerged also describe rather accurately many individuals who seek positions of power in fields of authority, most particularly politics and commerce.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“Oh, indeed, they can imitate feelings, but the only real feelings they seem to have – the thing that drives them and causes them to act out different dramas for the effect – is a sort of “predatorial hunger” for what they want.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“In other words, psychopathy is being recognized as a more or less different type of human.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“The high incidence of sociopathy in human society has a profound effect on the rest of us who must live on this planet, too, even those of us who have not been clinically traumatized. The individuals who constitute this 4 percent drain our relationships, our bank accounts, our accomplishments, our self-esteem, our very peace on earth.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“In the first case, the religious association succumbs to destruction from within, its organism becomes subordinated to goals completely different from the original idea, and its theosophic and moral values fall prey to characteristic deformation, thereupon serving as a disguise for domination by pathological individuals. The religious idea then becomes both a justification for using force and sadism against non-believers, heretics, and sorcerers, and a conscience drug for people who put such inspirations into effect.

Anyone criticizing such a state of affairs is condemned with paramoral indignation, allegedly in the name of the original idea and faith in God, but actually because he feels and thinks within the categories of normal people. Such a system retains the name of the original religion and many other specific names, swearing on the prophet’s beard while using this for its doubletalk. Something which was to be originally an aid in the comprehension of God’s truth now scourges nations with the sword of imperialism.”
― Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“accept psychological differences as a law of nature and appreciate their creative value. This would also enable us to gain an objective comprehension of man and human societies; unfortunately, it would also teach us that equality under the law is inequality under the law of nature.”
― Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“to understand humanity, however, we must gain a primary understanding of mankind’s instinctive substratum and appreciate its salient role in the life of individuals and societies.”
― Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“The beast of arbitrary calamity has always been with us.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“A patocracia sobrevive graças ao sentimento de estar ameaçado pela sociedade das pessoas normais, assim como também por outros países nos quais várias formas de sistema do homem normal persistem. Para os governantes, permanecer no topo é, então, o problema clássico de “ser ou não ser”.”
― Andrew Lobaczewski, Ponerologia: Psicopatas no Poder

“Durante as épocas “boas”, a busca pela verdade torna-se desconfortável porque revela fatos inconvenientes. É melhor pensar sobre coisas mais fáceis e mais agradáveis. A eliminação inconsciente de informações que são, ou aparentam ser, não recomendáveis, torna-se gradualmente um hábito, e a seguir transforma-se em um costume aceito pela sociedade em larga escala. O problema é que qualquer processo de pensamento baseado em informações truncadas, possivelmente não gerará conclusões corretas; ele leva, além disso, a uma substituição subconsciente de premissas inconvenientes por outras mais cômodas, aproximando-se dos limites da psicopatologia. Tais períodos de satisfação para um determinado grupo de pessoas – freqüentemente com raízes em alguma injustiça para outras pessoas ou nações – passa a estrangular a capacidade de consciência individual e da sociedade; fatores subconscientes acabam assumindo um papel decisivo na vida. Tal sociedade, já infectada pelo estado de histeria,[ 21 ] considera qualquer percepção de uma verdade desconfortável como um sinal de grosseria ou falta de educação. O iceberg de J. G. Herder[ 22 ] é mergulhado em um mar de informações inconscientes falsificadas; somente a ponta do iceberg é visível sobre as ondas da vida. A catástrofe fica à espera. Em momentos como esses, a capacidade para o pensamento lógico e disciplinado, nascido durante os tempos difíceis, começa a esvanecer. Quando as comunidades perdem sua capacidade psicológica da razão e de análise moral, os processos de geração do mal são intensificados em todas as escalas sociais, sejam elas individuais ou macrossociais, até que tudo se converta em épocas “ruins”.”
― Andrew Lobaczewski, Ponerologia: Psicopatas no Poder

“They dream of a world in which their simple and radical way of experiencing and perceiving reality would dominate; [35] where they would, of course, be assured safety and prosperity. In this Utopian dream, they imagine that those “others”, different, but also more technically skillful than they are, should be put to work to achieve this goal for the psychopaths and others of their kin. “We”, they say, “after all, will create a new government, one of justice.” [36] They are prepared to fight and to suffer for the sake of such a brave new world, and also, of course, to inflict suffering upon others. Such a vision justifies killing people, whose suffering does not move them to compassion because “they” are not quite conspecific. They do not realize that they will consequently”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“In the macrosocial phenomenon we shall later call “pathocracy”, a certain hereditary anomaly isolated as “essential psychopathy” is catalytically and causatively essential for the genesis and survival of large scale social evil.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“Likeable”, “Charming”, “Intelligent”, “Alert”, “Impressive”, “Confidence-inspiring,” and “A great success with the ladies”. This is how Hervey Cleckley described most of his subjects in The Mask of Sanity.”
― Andrzej Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“In the first case, the religious association succumbs to destruction from within, its organism becomes subordinated to goals completely different from the original idea, and its theosophic and moral values fall prey to characteristic deformation, thereupon serving as a disguise for domination by pathological individuals. The religious idea then becomes both a justification for using force and sadism against non-believers, heretics, and sorcerers, and a conscience drug for people who put such inspirations into effect.

Anyone criticizing such a state of affairs is condemned with paramoral indignation, allegedly in the name of the original idea and faith in God, but actually because he feels and thinks within the categories of normal people. Such a system retains the name of the original religion and many other specific names, swearing on the prophet’s beard while using this for its doubletalk. Something which was to be originally an aid in the comprehension of God’s truth now scourges nations with the sword of imperialism”
― Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

“Ponerogenic Associations We shall give the name “ponerogenic association” to any group of people characterized by ponerogenic processes of above-average social intensity, wherein the carriers of various pathological factors function as inspirers, spellbinders, and leaders, and where a proper pathological social structure generates. Smaller, less permanent associations may be called “groups” or “unions”.”
― Andrew M. Lobaczewski, Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes