Even though the entirety of the heavenly host descended upon me telling me something other than what the. Eric hoffer, a selfmade man, a longshoremanphilosopher, has been chosen by president johnson to serve on a committee studying. The true believer and the nature of mass movements. Part love story and part ghost story, this is an unforgettable new york times bestseller about a science journalist and a north carolina librarian who dare to believe in the impossible. Author eric hoffer analyzes and attempts to explain the motives of the various types of personalities that give. May 10, 2011 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. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements ebook written by eric hoffer. The passionate state of mind by eric hoffer, paperback. In the awakening of asia 1954, published in the reporter and later his book the ordeal of change 1963, hoffer discusses the reasons for unrest on the continent. The true believer hardcover january 1, 1951 by eric hoffer author. Published in 1951, it depicts a variety of arguments in terms of applied world history and social psychology to explain why mass movements arise to challenge to status quo, hoffer discussing the sense of individual identity and the holding to particular ideals that can.
The author uses examples of movements of all types from the past, as well as movements that were current when the book was written. Published in 1951, it depicts a variety of arguments in terms of. People join movements because of personal feelings of inadequacy or failure, to escape their seemingly powerless individual self. Eric hoffer in 1967, in the oval office, visiting president lyndon baines johnson hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil. He wrote in his spare time after doing shifts on the san francisco docks, where he continued to work, even after becoming a successful author. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements, and the passionate state of mind. The author uses examples of movements of all types from the past, as. The true believer was written over 60 years ago, but it is still frighteningly relevant and accurate today. The nazi party in eric hoffers true believer essay 1140. Eric hoffer is a student of extraordinary perception and insight. The true believer is a manuscript that attempts to grant justification as to why people would be drawn to a. In walden henry david thoreau wrote, the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
He worked in restaurants, as a migrant fieldworker, and as a gold prospector. Other articles where the true believer is discussed. The true believer the first and most famous of his bookswas made into a bestseller when president eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences. The true believer by eric hoffer overdrive rakuten. Hoffer wrote the book in 1951, when two of the most malignant mass movements in human history, those that produced the soviet union and nazi germany, sprung up, and the. Click here to return to the recommended reading page. It received critical acclaim from both scholars and laymen and catapulted hoffer into the limelight. The son of alsatian immigrants to the united states, he was born in new york city. Eric hoffers true believer outlines a model that mass movements follow or need to follow in order to succeed. The true believerthe first and most famous of his bookswas made into a bestseller when president eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences. Summary of eric hoffers, the true believer reason and meaning. As a science journalist with a regular column in scientific american, jeremy marsh specializes in debunking the supernatural and has a real nose for the strange.
The true believer ebook by eric hoffer 9780062029355. No doubt this book, written just prior to the outbreak of the korean war, served as one of his qualifications. The true believer was written by eric hoffer in 1951. Subsequent to the publication of the true believer 1951, eric hoffer touched upon asia and american interventionism in several of his essays. A piece of cardboard is glued onto the inside of the front cover in an attempt at. The nazi party rose to power because of the setting of germany at the time and the people involved in the movement. We look at their causes, those most prone to join a mass. The longshoreman philosopher hoover institution press publication book 616. Journal by presidential medal of freedom recipient eric. Journal by presidential medal of freedom recipient eric hoffer, the true believer is a landmark in the field of social psychology, and even more relevant today than ever before in history. Author eric hoffer analyzes and attempts to explain the motives of the various types of personalities that give rise to mass movements. He found it difficult to explain the forces that had channeled the disillusion of trench warfare and poison gas, had established the. Apr 01, 2005 part love story and part ghost story, this is an unforgettable new york times bestseller about a science journalist and a north carolina librarian who dare to believe in the impossible. Author of ten books, his big break came in when he penned.
Introduction to true believer by eric hoffer a true believer is a man of fanatical faith who is ready to sacrifice his life for a holy cause p. Hoffer thought of himself as a writer of sentences, and his book is a collection of. This book presents ideas about how mass movements work and the psychology of people that awakenjoin mass movements. Eric hoffer, in his seminal work, the true believer. The range of his reading and research is vast, amazing. Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation. Eric hoffer books list of books by author eric hoffer. The true believer eric hoffer paperback harpercollins publishers.
Jan 19, 2010 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. Eric hoffer was a workingclass american autodidact who authored a variety of treatises on moral and social philosophy. Allen scarbrough chose the true believer as one of 25 books that you need to read to know just about everything. The macat analysis of eric hoffers the true believer. Eric hoffer was a san francisco longshoreman who selfeducated and left behind the true believer, an astonishingly insightful examination of the phenomenon of mass movements.
A mass movement is a form of social, economic, or religious movement where a. From christianity to national socialism, eric hoffer shows how all mass movements are similar. In this lecture we examine eric hoffers fascinating analysis of mass movements. Author of ten books, his big break came in when he penned the true believer which amassed recognition and acknowledgement from the critics and audience alike. Later works include the passionate state of mind 1955, a collection. After a search, the most recent manuscript of his writing from turkey was.
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. A selfeducated man, eric hoffer was most likely born in 1898. He received the presidential medal of freedom, in february, 1983. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements by jonah s. The conservatism of a religionits orthodoxyis the inert coagulum of a once highly reactive sap. The true believer and the nature of mass movements duration. If plato lived 2,400 years ago, how is it possible that we know that he even existed, let alone what he wrote if he indeed did exist. See all books authored by eric hoffer, including the true believer.
A moral and social philosopher, eric hoffer was a sheer genius who is today regarded as one of the most important thinkers of the 20 th century. Completely relevant and essential for understanding the world. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements, by eric hoffer. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements was written by eric hoffer 19021983, a very unconventional man and a freethinker. His first book, the true believer 1951, demonstrated his insights into the nature of mass movements and the people who compose them. Selftaught, his appetite for knowledgehistory, science, mankindformed the basis of his insight to human nature. After a search, the most recent manuscript of his writing from turkey was written about 1,300 yeas after platos death. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements is a nonfiction book authored by american philosopher eric hoffer.
As a science journalist with a regular column in scientific american, jeremy marsh specializes in debunking the supernaturaluntil he falls in love with the granddaughter of the town psychic. 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. Anyone wanting to understand this horrible irony would do well to read eric hoffer s 1951 classic, the true believer. A rising religious movement is all change and ex perimentopen to new views and techniques from all quarters. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements 1951, viewed the postwar world at midcentury with trepidation. Even as eric hoffer makes plain the impetus of any major movements in world history from biblical times to postwar russia,china and germany,he he says the scriptures should be so essential,integral and. The true believer is a manuscript that attempts to grant justification as to why people would be drawn to a mass movement. Eric hoffer 19021983 was a selfeducated us author and philosopher who was a migratory worker and longshoreman until 1967. Those who have lost their selfesteem and feel powerless to effect any change in life are most likely to become fanatics. The nazi political movement in germany is explained well through the use of this framework. Fair with yellowed cover, rubbed and bumped edges, and creased backstrip. From eric hoffers classic book, the true believer, about the dangers of mass movements. The true believer revisited issue 34 philosophy now. His papers in the hoover archives run to many thousands of pages and include.
Even as eric hoffer makes plain the impetus of any major movements in world history from biblical times to postwar russia,china and germany,he he says the scriptures should be so essential,integral and imperative to the true believer that. Completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today, the true believer is a visionary, highly provocative look into the mind of the fanatic and a. Eric hoffer, a selfmade man, a longshoremanphilosopher, has been chosen by president johnson to serve on a committee studying violence in the united states. Anyone wanting to understand this horrible irony would do well to read eric hoffers 1951 classic, the true believer. The true believer summary essay 1088 words bartleby. A macat analysis of eric hoffers the true believer. Thoughts on the nature of mass movements by eric hoffer is a political philosophy classic from 1951. It is still in print as a harper perennial paperback. Listen to the macat analysis of eric hoffers the true believer. The famous bestseller with concise insight into what drives the mind of the fanatic and the dynamics of a mass movement wall st.
In the awakening of asia 1954, published in the reporter. Combining the life of a working man with a life of reading and writing, the san francisco longshoreman eric hoffer became a noted philosopher, a. Eric hoffer s true believer outlines a model that mass movements follow or need to follow in order to succeed. Anything that needs to be said, he believed, could be said in 200 words.