It has become well known how individuals might be rational and reasonable, but people in groups easily go crazy. Theologically Niebuhr made much of this in his Moral Man and Immoral Society. And Charles Mackay attested to it in his 19th century Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.

William Bernstein was motivated by the latter work to take up the same theme in The Delusions of Crowds: Why People Go Mad in Groups (galley received as part of early review program).

I am on record often suggesting how subtitles end up telling you more about what a book is about than the title itself; while I do still believe that tendency remains, it is not true in terms of this book. This book is not really about why people go mad in groups as much as details various instances of how they did so and attempting to provide warning indicators.

The author does not presume to be compendious, and he tends to focus on two particular catalysts for mass delusion: apocalyptic fervor and financial speculation. The narrative is roughly chronological and intersperses religious apocalypticism and financial speculation. He describes Anabaptist millennial fervor in the 16th century, French and British financial speculations and bubbles of the 18th century, the rise of dispensational premillennialism and its Millerite, Christian Zionist, and Religious Right manifestations, the speculations of the 1920s and the dot-com bubble, somewhat but less about the 2008 collapse, and much regarding Islamic apocalypticism manifest particularly in ISIS, among other narratives.

On the whole the narratives are well expressed, although the author continues to have too much esteem for the presumptions of the Enlightenment and has bought into some historical tropes; for instance, he bought the ex post facto justification of the Moral Majority on account of abortion as opposed to the opposition to IRS de-listing of segregation academies as non-profit organizations, and only later grabbing ahold of the abortion issue.

One can tell the author is not neutral about religious apocalyptic fervor but less vituperative regarding financial speculation. Regardless, much of what the author presents is a result of delusion, and no doubt there will be plenty more material for some later author to consider in some future volume regarding the delusions and madness of human collectives. ( )

DNF

The Delusions of Crowds by William J Bernstein is in many ways an updating of Charles Mackay’s Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions. Because they resonate with people and to keep the length of the book manageable, he limited his examples to financial and religious mass manias. In other words, he avoided political, or at least overtly political, manias.

I really enjoyed learning more about these events/periods and even where I knew a little about them Bernstein's depth offered new information and insight for me. No doubt some people who believe that the end-times will be in their lifetimes will find fault with his approach to our current mass maniacs, even to the point of claiming that they are different. Well, same hard to understand book as source material and very similar mindsets, but yeah, different. If you don't believe them, they have zip ties for your hands and a gallows outside.

That particular delusional group aside, the history, psychology, and neuroscience covered in helping to explain why we, as humans, are so prone to these mass hysterias is intriguing.

The only reason I deducted a star is because at times I found myself reading the historical accounts, enjoying them, but forgetting what the point of the book was. It all came together, the details were definitely helpful, but at times I felt like I was reading a straightforward history book rather than one with a unifying theme. I don't mean to imply he left the topic, more that I just got so wrapped up in the historical account I lost sight of the purpose.

Highly recommended for readers who wonder how and why these types of things are so common. Also for those who simply enjoy reading well-written accounts of strange historical events.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )