Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes [Paperback]

It is said that men are born with a good nature. So why is it that there is so much destruction and suffering throughout the human history? Is evil real? How to stop it? This book has the answers to those questions. It is a summary of the first scientific study of what is called macro-social evil and the process by which it spreads in the society.

In the early parts of the book, the author gives an overview on the root cause of macro-social evil: the small percentage of psycho-pathological deviants who nevertheless have a disproportionally large influence on the minds of normal humans. Due to the lack of psychological knowledge among normal humans, these deviants easily infiltrate social groups, movements, etc. When the society is in a sufficiently hysterical state, the psychological deviants that are always present can transform the entire society into its worst form: a pathocracy. The most notable examples of that are the Roman empire and the Nazi Germany.

The latter parts are devoted to examining the life cycle of a pathocracy: how it forms, evolves and self-destructs. The good news is that a pathocracy self-destructs relatively quickly, just like a particularly dangerous virus quickly killing sick body. The bad news is that even in its short life cycle, a pathocracy can inflict unmeasurable damage to the lives of normal humans living under its rule and those living close to it.

Although it is not a light reading due to the need to compress so much knowledge into a reasonable-sized book, this book is a must read for every human beings with a conscience. It is particularly relevant today as the U.S. is well on the way to become a full-fledged pathocracy. To stop evil, we must first understand evil.

Political Ponerology is a new science, born out of the pain of suffering under Communist oppression in Poland. It is the result of the search for a scientific answer to 'why' this kind of oppression happens, and what can be done about it. It turns out that the same scenarios repeat ad nauseam throughout history, in what Lobaczeski calls the 'hysteroidal cycle'. At the center of this are two concepts. The first is of a small but constant percentage of psychopaths, 'deviant' human beings who are basically conscienceless (due to genetic or environmental damage) and will only ever act for their own benefit, which inevitably turns into oppression of others. The second concept is that of the hysteroidal cycle where, during the 'up' part of the cycle, societal 'good times', knowledge of this deviancy is gradually eroded and lost, and society therby loses its immunity against it - this leads to a cumulative oppression of society as the 'ponerizing' influences begin to snowball, and ultimately a collapse of social order and human function as the population can no longer support itself under such extremes of manipulation.

This book is not an easy read to start with. I've found that repeated study has revealed further subtlety as my understanding has increased - it is also useful to read it as a natural companion to modern studies on psychopathy such as 'Without Conscience' by Dr Robert Hare, and 'The Sociopath Next Door' by Dr Martha Stout. It would also be useful to read what can be though of as a Ponerology case study, '9/11: The Ultimate Truth' by Laura Knight-Jadczyk

Ponerology is densely packed with concepts which are initially difficult to digest, partly because of their unfamiliarity, but moreso because of the profound implications that they have on life today. This can be hard to stomach, when one is comfortable in the belief that one is familiar with the workings of modern society and politics - this book does not pander to such comfortable beliefs, and instead shows an ugly underbelly which can be difficult to contemplate.

But contemplate it, we must! This study is extremely relevant today, as we are currently facing just such a social collapse under the extreme effects of runaway psychopathic oppression, under the brutal war of the Bush regime, in combination with savage corporate pillaging of the world's resources. We need answers, and fast, as social cohesion and the very fundamentals of human values are being rapidly destroyed before our eyes. Political Ponerology seems to be an absolutely essential part of that answer.

Ever wondered why bad things like war happen? Do they "just happen"? Is fate really to blame? Or is there a human element involved? Are we all made alike? These are just some of the questions answered by Political Ponerology which lays out the reality of the widespread and immensely damaging effect of psychopaths who attain to positions of political power.