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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good introduction to paranoid conspiracies,
This review is from: Architects Of Fear (Hardcover)
I believe this book came out in 1983. Although a reprint would be out of line, an updated edition (or a sequel) would be useful, after the explosion in conspiracy theorizing what with the Internet, the Clintons, and the nineties in general.A fairly quick summation of conspiracy theory positions and slants. The exploration of the origins of conspiracy theories is fairly well-done. The chapter on Adam Weishaupt and the Illuminati is pretty good. All in all, Johnson tries to grapple with too much information, dealing with the origins of the most well-known theories as well as the sociology of the Ameriacn conspiracy crowd, as well as his own visceral responses to the politics of the Reagan era. Johnson may be too quick and simplistic to conclude what the motivation of this phenomenon is. It is a good introduction to many of the recurring themes that dominate conspiracy literature. I recommend (getting from the library -don't buy it- and) taking a look at Jim Marrs' ridiculous, "Rule By Secrecy." It could essentially be a textbook in the psuedo-scholarship techniques behind the foolishness and fraudulence of the conspiracy theory industry.
6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Relativism, Internal Growth & Its Attack From Absolutism,
By
This review is from: Architects Of Fear (Hardcover)
I give this book 10 stars. The reason is that it's application applies to current events and would be beneficial to the public and law makers if they had comprehension of the history of conspiracy theories, how it has affected political control and destiny of Western civilization and how it pertains to religion and it's progenitors absolutist and relative thinking.
This is a history book which concepts play a dominant role in our contemporary society and political climate in the United States and through out the entire world, as fundamentalist and religious thinking, both affect our world conditions. Absolutist thinking can pertain to any realm and basically rests in conservativism which seeks to conserve or retain traditions and current cultural values, as in orthodoxy, rejecting all other avenues that deviate as heresy. Such is the basis for conspiracy accusations. Johnson, in a nonexhaustive study, relates the historical development of the ancient Greek Pythagoreans, the Euclidean's, and the later Rosicrucian's, the Freemasons and the Illuminati. While such groups had differed in many ways and had even battled each other, they all consisted of a common thread: the idea to grow in knowledge and understanding apart from the orthodoxy of conservatism and traditional thought. And so they have always posed as threats to traditional religious and political thinking and subsequently were responsible for uprisings and revolutions, most commonly noted in the French revolution. Such groups were the precursors to the Enlightenment and the departure from the religious control that dominated Europe. Later groups under the attack of conspiracy theories were the opposers of the Catholic Church, to the Catholic Church herself, to the Communists, Bankers and Jews, the list goes on. Co-joining these movements throughout history, and its heretical thinking, was that of the attacks and accusations from the traditionalists, the conservatives accusing, constructing and elaborating on conspiracy theories. Many of these theories were elaborated on in such ways to criss-cross each other, changing in ways that accuse multiple groups, which others take in only some of these groups, changing accusational applications and formulations to fit the preconceived ideas of the accuser. Many of the schemes became so elaborate - without evidence, and yet whipped up the masses in persecution fervor. Such can be seen in the history of the Freemasons, the Illuminati and the United States Joseph McCarthy trials of so-called Communists, which some were. But the idea of being a Communist was now accused as being dangerous and detrimental to our current values. Johnson goes into the history of American politics, the Jeffersonians and the Hamiltonians or Federalists and their supporters the Congregationalists and our current day Right Wing conservative values and subsequent attacks on all view that differ from their absolutist mentality, thus using conspiratory theories of attack. In this, he lists organizations, such as the John Birch society and many, many others. He also writes of other political parties, as Lyndon La Roche, who is not necessarily right or left wing politics, but with the mentality of absolutist thinking that constructs the most convoluted and elaborate conspiracy theories against all those he desires as opponents, which both confuse and persuade those lacking the ability to see the psychology behind the manipulative philosophical, historical and political framework. The books conclusion makes this book totally worthwhile as it sums up the basis for all the wars, attacks and conspiracy theories and the psychology behind such. In this Johnson goes back to the Christian Gnostics, which were first discovered in the last century, only to be interpreted to the layman recently. In this, the Gnostics were accused as heresy, as unorthodox, for seeking to obtain knowledge and enlightenment within themselves, to find God and Christ within themselves through meditation and personal subjective experiences, thus failing to submit to the current authority granted to the one and only true Catholic Church and political allies. Their rejection of the Apostles and their so-called successors as the only ones with the "truth" was considered heresy and thus elaborate conspiracy theories were constructed. The very idea that the bible consists of only the 66 books it contains falls under the second century church politics, corrupted as it was. It's a sad fact that 99% of the Evangelical Christians, who dominate the Republican conservative vote, have no clue to the history, make up, ideas and teachings both within and surrounding the Gnostic Gospels, the result: absolutist, fundamental thinking, intolerant of self-enlightenment outside of erroneous authority: national wars and bloodshed. What makes this book so significant is its application in current day politics and religious values that so dominate our conservative parties. Even the liberals at times and those accused became the accusers with conspiracy theories of attack due to their absolutist thinking. And that's the point of this whole book. We can either look externally, outside our selves for strict formulations to lean on for security, this being done out of the fear of change - or - we can look internally within ourselves and realize that life is a mystery with ambiguity and while we retain certain values and teachings, we are always flexible to self learning, to grow, to evolve to walk in areas without certainty, without security and trust in both humanism and the universe and a God that lives within both, thus we are tolerant, inclusive and work integrally towards world unity and peace.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Splendid and indispensable,
By A Customer
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Architects Of Fear (Hardcover)
I agree with the LA Times: "Splendid and indispensable, endlessly interesting, sheer entertainment, a titillating glimpse intoyahooland."
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