Andrew Lobaczewski - Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes
specific experiential mode, especially the one described in the
section on essential psychopathy. At this point, using the name
of the original ideology to designate this phenomenon is mean-
ingless and becomes an error rendering its comprehension
more difficult.
I shall accept the denomination of pathocracy for a system
of government thus created, wherein a small pathological mi-
nority takes control over a society of normal people. The name
thus selected, above all, emphasizes the basic quality of the
macrosocial psychopathological phenomenon, and differenti-
ates it from the many possible social systems dominated by
normal people’s structure, custom, and law.
I tried to find a name which would more clearly designate
the psychopathological, even psychopathic quality of such a
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government, but I gave up because of certain perceived phe-
nomena (to be referred to below) and for practical considera-
tions (to avoid lengthening the denomination). Such a name
sufficiently indicates the phenomenon’s basic quality and also
emphasizes that the ideological cloak (or some other ideology
which cloaked similar phenomena in the past) does not consti-
tute its essence. When I happened to hear that a Hungarian
scientist unknown to me had already used this term, my deci-
sion was finalized. I think this name is consistent with the de-
mands of semantics, since no concise term can adequately
characterize such a complex phenomenon. I shall also hence-
forth designate the social systems wherein the links of normal
people dominate in any way as “the systems of normal man”.
More on the Contents of the Phenomenon
The achievement of absolute domination by pathocrats in
the government of a country cannot be permanent since large
sectors of the society become disaffected by such rule and
eventually find some way of toppling it. This is part of the
historical cycle, easily discerned when history is read from a
ponerological point of view. Pathocracy at the summit of gov-
ernmental organization also does not constitute the entire pic-
ture of the “mature phenomenon”. Such a system of govern-
ment has nowhere to go but down.
In a pathocracy, all leadership positions, (down to village
headman and community cooperative managers, not to mention
the directors of police units, and special services police person-
nel, and activists in the pathocratic party) must be filled by
individuals with corresponding psychological deviations,
which are inherited as a rule. However, such people constitute
a very small percentage of the population and this makes them
more valuable to the pathocrats. Their intellectual level or pro-
fessional skills cannot be taken into account, since people rep-
resenting superior abilities are even harder to find. After such a
system has lasted several years, one hundred percent of all the
cases of essential psychopathy are involved in pathocratic ac-
tivity; they are considered the most loyal, even though some of
them were formerly involved on the other side in some way.
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195
Under such conditions, no area of social life can develop
normally, whether in economics, culture, science, technology,
administration, etc. Pathocracy progressively paralyzes every-
thing. Normal people must develop a level of patience beyond
the ken of anyone living in a normal man’s system just in order
to explain what to do and how to do it to some obtuse medioc-
rity of a psychological deviant who has been placed in charge
of some project that he cannot even understand, much less
manage. This special kind of pedagogy – instructing deviants
while avoiding their wrath - requires a great deal of time and
effort, but it would otherwise not be possible to maintain toler-
able living conditions and necessary achievements in the eco-
nomic area or intellectual life of a society. Even with such ef-
forts, pathocracy progressively intrudes everywhere and dulls
everything.
Those people who initially found the original ideology at-
tractive eventually come to the realization that they are in fact
dealing with something else that has taken its place under the
old name. The disillusionment experienced by such former
ideological adherents is bitter in the extreme. Thus, the patho-
logical minority’s attempts to retain power will be threatened
by the society of normal people, whose criticism keeps grow-
ing.
Therefore, to mitigate the threat to their power, the
pathocrats must employ any and all methods of terror and ex-
terminatory policies against individuals known for their patri-
otic feelings and military training; other, specific “indoctrina-
tion” activities such as those we have presented are also util-
ized. Individuals lacking the natural feeling of being linked to
normal society become irreplaceable in either of these activi-
ties. Again, the foreground of this type of activity is occupied
by cases of essential psychopathy, followed by those with simi-
lar anomalies, and finally by people alienated from the society
in question as a result of racial or national differences.
The phenomenon of pathocracy matures during this period:
an extensive and active indoctrination system is built, with a
suitably refurbished ideology constituting the vehicle or Trojan
horse for the purpose of pathologizing the thought processes of
individuals and society. The goal- forcing human minds to
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incorporate pathological experiential methods and thought-
patterns, and consequently accepting such rule - is never
openly admitted. This goal is conditioned by pathological ego-
tism, and the possibility of accomplishing it strikes the
pathocrats as not only indispensable, but feasible. Thousands of
activists must therefore participate in this work. However, time
and experience confirm what a psychologist may have long
foreseen: the entire effort produces results so very limited that
it is reminiscent of the labors of Sisyphus. It only results in
producing a general stifling of intellectual development and
deep-rooted protest against affront-mongering “hypocrisy”.
The authors and executors of this program are incapable of
understanding that the decisive factor making their work diffi-
cult is the fundamental nature of normal human beings – the
majority.
The entire system of force, terror, and forced indoctrination,
or, rather, pathologization, thus proves effectively unfeasible,
which causes the pathocrats no small measure of surprise. Re-
ality places a question mark on their conviction that such
methods can change people in such fundamental ways so that
they can eventually recognize this pathocratic kind of govern-
ment as a “normal state”.
During the initial shock, the feeling of social links between
normal people fade. After that has been survived, however, the
overwhelming majority of people begin to manifest their own
phenomenon of psychological immunization. Society simulta-
neously starts collecting practical knowledge on the subject of
this new reality and its psychological properties.
Normal people slowly learn to perceive the weak spots of
such a system and utilize the possibilities of more expedient
arrangement of their lives. They begin to give each other ad-
vice in these matters, thus slowly regenerating the feelings of
social links and reciprocal trust. A new phenomenon occurs:
separation between the pathocrats and the society of normal
people. The latter have an advantage of talent, professional
skills, and healthy common sense. They therefore hold certain
very advantageous cards. The pathocracy finally realizes that it
must find some modus vivendi or relations with the majority of
society: “After all, somebody’s got to do the work for us.”
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197
There are other needs and pressures felt by the pathocrats,
especially from outside. The pathological face must be hidden
from the world somehow, since recognition of the deviant rul-
ership by world opinion would be a catastrophe. Ideological
propaganda alone would then be an inadequate disguise. Pri-
marily in the interests of the new elite and its expansionary
plans, a pathocratic state must maintain commercial relations
with the countries of normal man. The pathocratic state aims to
achieve international recognition as a certain kind of political
structure; and it fears recognition in terms of a true clinical
diagnosis.
All this makes pathocrats tend to limit their measures of ter-
ror, subjecting their propaganda and indoctrination methods to
a certain cosmetology, and to accord the society they control
some margin of autonomous activity, especially regarding cul-
tural life. The more liberal pathocrats would not be averse to
giving such a society a certain minimum of economic prosper-
ity in order to reduce the irritation level, but their own corrup-
tion and inability to administer the economy prevents them
from doing so.
And so, with the above considerations being brought to the
forefront of pathocratic attention, this great societal disease
continues to run its course through a new phase: methods of
activity become milder, and there is coexistence with countries
whose structure is that of normal man.
Any psychopathologist studying this phenomenon will be
reminded of the dissimulative state or phase of a patient at-
tempting to play the role of a normal person, hiding his patho-
logical reality although he continues to be sick or abnormal.
Let as therefore use the term “the dissimulative phase of
pathocracy” for the state of affairs wherein a pathocratic sys-
tem ever more skillfully plays the role of a normal sociopoliti-
cal system with “different” doctrinal institutions.
In this phase, normal people within the country ruled by
pathocrats become resistant and adapt themselves to the situa-
tion. On the outside, however, this phase is marked by out-
standing ponerogenic activity. The pathological material of this
system can all-too-easily infiltrate into other societies, particu-
larly if they are more primitive, and all the avenues of
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pathocratic expansion are facilitated because of the decrease of
commonsensical criticism on the part of the nations constitut-
ing the territory of expansionism.
Meanwhile, in the pathocratic country, the active structure
of government rests in the hands of psychopathic individuals,
and essential psychopathy plays a starring role, especially dur-
ing the dissimulative phase. However, individuals with obvious
pathological traits must be removed from certain areas of activ-
ity: namely, political posts with international exposure, where
such personalities could betray the pathological contents of the
phenomenon. Individuals with obvious pathological traits are
also limited in their ability to exercise diplomatic functions or
to become fully cognizant with the political situations of the
countries of normal man. Therefore, the persons selected for
such positions are chosen because they have thought-processes
more similar to the world of normal people; in general, they are
sufficiently connected to the pathological system to provide a
guarantee of loyalty.95 An expert in various psychological
anomalies can nevertheless discern the discreet deviations upon
which such links are based. Another factor to be noted is the
great personal advantages accorded to such demi-normal indi-
viduals by the pathocracy. Small wonder, then, that such loy-
alty is sometimes deceptive. This applies in particular to the
sons of typical pathocrats, who of course enjoy trust because
they have been reared to allegiance since infancy; if through
some happy genetic coincidence they have not inherited patho-
logical properties, their nature takes precedence over nurture.
Similar needs apply to other areas as well. The building di-
rector for a new factory is often someone barely connected
with the pathocratic system but whose skills are essential. Once
the plant is operational, administration is taken over by
pathocrats, which then often leads to technical and financial
ruin.
The army similarly needs people endowed with perspicacity
and essential qualifications, especially in the area of modern
weapons and warfare. At crucial moments, healthy common
sense can override the results of pathocratic drill. In such a
state of affairs, many people are forced to adapt, accepting the
95 Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell come to mind here. [Editor’s note.]
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199
ruling system as a status quo, but also criticizing it. They fulfill
their duties amid doubts and conflicts of conscience, always
searching for a more sensible way out which they discuss
within trusted circles. In effect, they are always hanging in a
limbo between pathocracy and the world of normal people.
Deficiently faithful people have been and are a factor of the
pathocratic system’s internal weakness.
The following questions thus suggest themselves: what
