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

nates. Thanks to characteristic creativity in this area, pathoc-

racy produces a mass of suggestive names prepared in such a

way as to divert attention from a phenomenon’s essential quali-

ties. Whoever has been ensnared in this semantic trap even

once loses not only the capacity for objective analysis of that

type of phenomenon; he also partially loses his ability to use

his common sense. Producing such effects within human minds

is the specific purpose of this patho-semantics; one must first

protect one’s own person against them and then proceed to

protect social consciousness.

The only names we can accept are those with a historical

tradition contemporary to the facts and reaching back to pre-

infection times. For instance, if we call pre-Marxist socialism

“Utopian socialism”, it will be difficult for us to understand

that it was much more realistic and socially creative than the

later movements already laced with pathological material.

However, such caution does not suffice when we are deal-

ing with phenomena which cannot be measured within the

natural structure of concepts because they were produced by a

macrosocial pathological process. We must thus again under-

score that the light of natural healthy common sense is insuffi-

cient for effecting such retrospective refinement of ideological

values later deformed by such a process. Psychological objec-

tivity, adequate knowledge in the area of psychopathology, and

the data contained in the prior chapters of this book are indis-

pensable for this purpose.

POLITICAL PONEROLOGY

299

Thus equipped, we also become qualified to create indis-

pensable new names which would elucidate the actual proper-

ties of phenomena, providing we pay sufficient attention to

precepts of semantics with all the probity and economy, as

would demand William of Ockham. After all, these names will

spread throughout the earth and help many people correct their

world view and social attitude. Such activity, albeit legalistic,

actually aims at depriving pathocratic circles of their name

controlling monopoly; their predicable protests will merely

prove that we are on the right track.

Ideology thus regenerated regains the natural life and evolu-

tionary capacity which pathologization has stifled. At the same

time, however, it loses its ability to fulfill imposed functions

such as feeding a pathocracy and cloaking it from both healthy

common sense criticism and something even more dangerous,

namely a feel for psychological reality and its humorous as-

pects.

Condemning an ideology because of its errors, whether con-

tained from the outset or absorbed later, will never deprive it of

this imputed function, especially not in the minds of people

who failed to condemn it for similar reasons. If we further at-

tempt to analyze such a condemned ideology, we will never

achieve the effect which has a curative influence upon the hu-

man personality; we will simply miss the truly important fac-

tors and be unable to fill a certain space with contents. Our

thoughts will then be forced to evade whatever blocks their

freedom, thereby erring among ostensible truths. Once some-

thing succumbs to psychopathological factors, it cannot be

understood unless the proper categories are utilized.

Immunization

Many infectious diseases give an organism a natural immu-

nity for a period between a few years and many. Medicine imi-

tates this biological mechanism by introducing vaccines which

enable an organism to become immune without passing

through the disease. More and more frequently, psychothera-

pists attempt to immunize a patient’s psyche to various trauma-

tizing factors which are too difficult to eliminate from his life.

In practice, we use this most often with people subjected to the

300

THERAPY OF THE WORLD

destructive influence of characteropathic individuals. Immuniz-

ing someone against the destructive effects of psychopathic

personalities is somewhat more difficult; however, it represents

a closer analogy to the task which should be performed with

regard to nations succumbing to the influence of pathocratic

psychological diversion.

Societies governed by a pathocratic system for many years

develop the above-described natural immunization, along with

the characteristic detachment from the phenomenon and sar-

donic humor. In combination with the growth of practical

knowledge, this state should be taken into account every time

we wish to evaluate a given country’s political situation. We

should also underscore that this immunity refers to the patho-

logical phenomenon per se, not its ideology, which explains

why it is also effective against any other pathocracy, no matter

the ideological mask. The psychological experience gained

permits the same phenomenon to be recognized according to its

actual properties; the ideology is treated in accordance with its

true role.

Psychotherapy properly run upon an individual who suc-

cumbed to the destructive influence of the life conditions under

pathocratic rule, always brings about a significant improvement

in psychological immunization. In making a patient conscious

of the pathological qualities of such influences, we facilitate his

development of that critical detachment and spiritual serenity

which natural immunization could not have produced. We thus

do not merely imitate nature; we actually achieve a better-than-

natural quality of immunity, which is more effective in protect-

ing a patient from neurotic tensions and reinforcing his practi-

cal everyday resourcefulness. An awareness of the biological

essence of the phenomenon provides them with a preponder-

ance both over the phenomenon and those people who lack

such awareness.

This type of psychological immunity also proves more per-

manent. If natural immunity lasts the life of the generation

wherein it was produced, scientifically-based immunity can be

transmitted further. Similarly, natural immunity plus the practi-

cal knowledge upon which it is based may be very difficult to

transmit to nations which have not had such immediate experi-

POLITICAL PONEROLOGY

301

ence, but the kind which is based on generally accessible scien-

tific data can be transmitted to other nations without superhu-

man efforts.

We are faced with two related goals. In countries affected

by the above-discussed phenomenon, we should attempt to

transform the existing natural immunity into that better-quality

immunity, thus making it possible to increase operative ease

while lowering psychological tensions. With regard to those

individuals and societies which indicate an obvious immunode-

ficiency and are threatened by pathocratic expansion, we

should facilitate the development of artificial immunity.

This immunity is generated mainly as a natural result of

understanding the real contents of the macrosocial phenome-

non.

This awareness causes a stormy experiential period not be-

reft of protest, but this substitute disease process is short-lived.

Stripping the naturalistic reality heretofore protected by an

ideological mask is an effective and necessary assistance for

individuals and societies. Within a short period of time, this

begins to protect them from the ponerogenic activities of patho-