Andrew Lobaczewski - Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes

individual, social, and historical world views in this search for

meaning of life and history is a product of unhappy times and

will help along the way back to happy ones.

Another object of consideration became: moral problems

applicable in individual life as well as in history and politics.

The mind starts reaching ever deeper in this area, achieving

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ever more subtle understanding of the matter, because it is

precisely in this world that the old oversimplifications proved

to be unsatisfactory. An understanding of other people, includ-

ing those who commit errors and crimes, appears in a problem-

solving way which was formerly underrated. Forgiveness is

only one step beyond understanding. As Mme. de Stael wrote:

“Tout comprendere, c’est tout pardoner”109.

A society’s religion is affected by analogous transforma-

tions. The proportion of the people maintaining religious be-

liefs is not significantly affected, particularly in countries

wherein the pathocracy was imposed; it does, however, un-

dergo a modification of the contents and quality of such beliefs

in such a way that religion in time becomes more attractive to

people raised indifferent to faith. The old religion, dominated

by tradition, ritual, and insincerity, now becomes transformed

into faith, conditioned by necessary studies and convictions

which determine behavioral criteria.

Anyone reading the Gospel during such times finds some-

thing that is hard to understand for other Christians. So real is

the similarity between the social relations, there under the gov-

ernment of ancient pagan Rome, and these under the atheistic

pathocracy, that the reader imagines the situations described

more easily and senses the reality of occurrences more vividly.

Such reading also furnishes him with encouragement and ad-

vice which he can use in his situations. Thus, during brutal

times of confrontation with evil, human capabilities of dis-

criminating phenomena become subtler; apperceptive and

moral sensibility develops. Critical faculties sometimes border

with cynicism.

~~~

“ I once got into a mountain-bound bus full of young high-

school and university students. During the trip, song filled the

vehicle and the neighboring hills. Old prewar songs both witty

and frivolous Le"mian’s110 poems: ‘Our ancestor Noah was a

brave man...’, and others. The text, however, had been cor-

109 “To understand all is to forgive all.”

110 Boles"aw Le#mian (born Boles"aw Lesman; 18781-1937) was a Polish

poet, artist and member of the Polish Academy of Literature. He was one of

the most influential poets of the early 20th century in Poland.[Editor’s note.]

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rected with humor and literary talent, eliminating whatever

irritated these young people raised during difficult times. Was

it an unintended result?”

~~~

As a result of all these transformations, including the de-

egotization of thought and attitude connected thereto, society

becomes capable of a mental creativity which goes beyond

normal conditions. This effort could be useful in any cultural,

technical, or economic area if the authorities did not oppose

and stifle it because they feel threatened by such activity.

Human genius is not born of lazy prosperity and among

genteel camaraderie, but rather stands in perpetual confronta-

tion with a recalcitrant reality which is different from ordinary

human imaginations. Under such conditions, wide-scale theo-

retical approaches are found to have practical existential value.

The old system of thought which remains in use in free coun-

tries starts to look backward, naive, and bereft of feeling of

values.

If nations which arrived at such a state were to regain their

freedom, many valuable accomplishments of human thought

would mature within a short time. No excessive fears would be

in order as to whether such a nation would then be capable of

elaborating a workable socio-economic system. Quite the con-

trary: the absence of egoistical pressure groups, the conciliatory

nature of a society which has years of bitter experience behind

it, and the penetrating, morally profound thought processes

would permit the way out to be found relatively rapidly. Dan-

ger and difficulty would rather come from outside pressures on

the part of nations which do not adequately understand the

conditions in such a country. But unfortunately, the pathocracy

cannot be dosed as a bitter medicine!

The older generation, raised in a normal man’s country,

generally reacts by developing the above-mentioned skills, i.e.

by enrichment; the younger generation, however, was raised

under pathocratic rule and thus succumbs to a greater world

view impoverishment, reflex rigidification of personality, and

domination by habitual structures, those typical results of the

operation of pathological personalities. Paralogistic propaganda

and its corresponding indoctrination are consciously rejected;

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however, this process demands time and effort which could

better be used for active apperception of valuable contents. The

latter are accessible only with difficulty, due both to limitations

and to apperceptive problems. There arises the feeling of a

certain void which is hard to fill. In spite of human good will,

certain paralogisms and paramoralisms, as well as cognitive

materialism, anchor and persevere in brains. The human mind

is not able to disprove every single falsity which has been sug-

gested to it.

The emotional life of people raised within such a deviant

psychological reality is also fraught with difficulties. In spite of

critical reason, a certain saturation of a youngster’s personality

with pathological psychological material is unavoidable, as is a

degree of primitivization and rigidity of feelings. The constant

efforts to control one’s emotions, so as to avoid having some

stormy reaction provoke repression on the part of a vindictive

and retentive regime, cause feelings to be repressed into a role

of something rather problematic, something which should not

be given a natural outlet. Suppressed emotional reactions sur-

face later, when the person can afford to express them; they are

delayed and inappropriate to the situation at hand. Worries

about the future awaken egotism among people thus adapted to

life in a pathological social structure.

Neurosis is a natural response of human nature if a normal

person is subordinated to domination of pathological people.

The same applies to the subordination of a society and its

members to a pathological system of authority. In a pathocratic

state, every person with a normal nature thus exhibits a certain

chronic neurotic state, controlled by the efforts of reason. The

intensity of these states varies among individuals, depending

upon different circumstances, usually more serious in direct

proportion to the individual’s intelligence. Psychotherapy upon

such people is only possible and effective if we can rely on

adequate familiarity with the causes of these states. Western

educated psychologists thus prove completely impractical with

regard to such patients.

A psychologist working in such a country must develop

special operational techniques unknown and even unfathom-

able to specialists practicing in the free world. They have the

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purpose of partially liberating the voice of instinct and feeling

from this abnormal over-control, and of rediscovering the voice

of nature’s wisdom within, but this must be done in such a way

as to avoid exposing the patient to the unfortunate results of

excessive freedom of reaction in the conditions under which he

must live. A psychotherapist must operate carefully, with the

help of allusions, because only rarely may he openly inform the

patient of the system’s pathological nature. However, even

under such conditions, we can achieve a greater experiential

freedom, more appropriate thought processes, and better deci-

sion making capabilities. As a result of all this, the patient sub-

sequently behaves with greater caution and feels much safer.

If Western radio stations, unhampered by the fears of psy-

chologists on the other side, abandoned the simple counter

propaganda in favor of a similar psychotherapeutic technique,

they would contribute mightily to the future of countries still

under pathocratic rule today. Toward the end of this book, I

shall attempt to persuade the reader that psychological matters

are as important to the future as grand politics or powerful

weapons.

Understanding

Comprehending those normal people, whether outstanding

or average, fated to live under pathocratic rule, their human

nature and their responses to this basically deviant reality, their

dreams, their methods of comprehending such a reality (includ-

ing all the difficulties along the road), and their need to adapt

and become resistant (including the side-effects) is a sine qua

non precondition for learning the behavior that would effec-

tively assist them in their efforts to achieve a normal man’s

system. It would be psychologically impossible for a politician

in a free country to incorporate the practical knowledge such

people acquired over many years of day to day experience.

This knowledge cannot be transmitted; no journalistic or liter-

ary efforts will ever achieve anything in this area. However, an

analogous science formulated in objective naturalistic language

can be communicated in both directions. It can be assimilated

by people who have no such specific experiences; it can also be

back transmitted over there where a great need for this science

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253

exists as do the minds which are already prepared to receive it.

Such a science would actually act upon their battered personali-

ties in much the same way as the best of medicines. Mere

awareness that one was subject to the influence of a mental

deviant is in and of itself a crucial part of treatment.

Whoever wants to maintain the freedom of his country and

of the world already threatened by this macrosocial pathologi-

cal phenomenon, whoever would like to heal this sick planet of

ours, should not only understand the nature of this great dis-

ease, but should also be conscious of potentially regenerative

healing powers.

Every country within the scope of this macrosocial phe-

nomenon contains a large majority of normal people living and

suffering there who will never accept pathocracy; their protest

against it derives from the depths of their own souls and their

human nature as conditioned by properties transmitted by

means of biological heredity. The forms of this protest and the

ideologies by which they would like to realize their natural

wishes may nevertheless change.

The ideology or societal structure via which they would like