Customer Reviews

The Psychopath's Bible: For the Extreme Individual

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Psychopath's Bible opens with a disclaimer intended as a standard CYA cap, and the next dozen or so pages continue this theme, warning the reader about the hazards of reading the terrible and horrifying material within, which is more than a little over the top for my taste, but entertaining nonetheless. It is primarily compiled of three 'manuals' and three appendices. Nicholas Tharcher summed up the basic theme of the book well in the Forward when he said: 'In some ways this is a book of social philosophy; in other was it is a book of technique. Which it is for you may depend more on your attitude than anything else' (pg 15).

The first manual is titled 'The Toxick Magician' in which very little is given that could be used for practical application and the little theory is a bit dodgy as it is not expounded. Thoughts are left vague and incomplete, perhaps to stimulate further thought and generated ideas on the part of the practitioner, but it looks sloppy and unfinished.

However, I found the second manual, 'Toxick Calculator', far more entertaining. It deals with what Hyatt terms the 'mathematics of power' and contains more detailed theory, as well as exercises with more practical applications than the first. In it, the reader gets gems like this: 'We are inherently irrational, although we like to fancy ourselves as rational beings......the truth is simple: we are irrational beings capable of rational thought.' (pg 109)

The third manual, 'The No-Where University, Sometimes Called P.U.' contains a selection of courses and literature, both printed and film, that a prospective psychopath will want to fill hirself in on in order to perfect hir transformation.

Much of what is contained within one can see easily reflected all around, friends, co-workers, etc. Particularly in the games played by world leaders. Consider this extract: 'Build tension in others and help them find a scapegoat. Do this in small and insignificant ways until you have the power and ability to move people to more gross and hideous behaviors. Help people realize how easy it is to lose things they have or want. The trick in all of this is not to become identified as the bearer of bad tidings - unless you are looking for people with a strong stomach' (pg 87). Sound familiar?

It's entertaining, an easy read, but at the same time insightful - though not terribly new. There is little that cannot be found within the works of Sun Tzu, Niccolo Machiavelli, Ayn Rand and the like. However, the ideas have been modernized, and deliberately injected with humour, which is fun. Then again, as he says 'I have written this book in the way I wanted to write it??not for the ease of the reader nor for the sake of favorable reviews' (pg 105).

For those who have not read much in this genre there is a lot you need to know, namely, you need to understand that 'no matter how pathetic, everyone is looking out for their best interests. For most people, their best interest consists of not being punished. Few play to win. They play to be safe while feeling morally superior to the winner' (pg 31), and this is an attitude that severely needs to be corrected if you really want to play the game. This book just might help.

There's weak link between this type of writing and that of Crowleys on the nature of mind and self. Whereas Crowley is extremely eloquent on the subject, an accomplished writer by any standard and a very thoughful individual, Hyatt seems, by comparison, an amatuer and underestimates by far the intelligence of his potential readers.
This author (who claims to have a Phd) seems to think he's telling us something irresposible, shocking and new. Nothing of the sort - there are very few incites here, mostly half-baked nonsense. He seems to have very little understanding of true human nature and has no respect for the Other. This book came highly recommended by a friend, I would not have ordered it otherwise. My advice is: don't bother with this book - you could probably write a better one yourself and save your money for more important things. As John Balance once wrote: "Wise words from the departing - Eat your greens, especially broccoli"

This book is longer, more repetitious and far-reaching than necessary for the topic. An author would do well to avoid contradicting his own tenents: such as his insistence on empirical reality, when in the previous section he bade his Toxic readers to rely on the decidedly unempirical karma.

Pretentiousness like Toxic Magick, sending him money to teach you, and empirical karma aside, the core of the book represents an absolute truth, and, among his own delusional splendor, there is much good advice the Dr. offers us.

Dr. Wyatt warns the socially indoctrinated reader to stay away from the book and its teachings as their directions could prove harmful to one's mental health and life situtations. I wouldn't go so far as to agree with his warning, I don't think the average human understands that there is a game on.

All criticism aside, this book is most assuredly worth a read, if not for gathering your own strength, then even just to gain insight into how cunning some people can really be.

As has been pointed out in other reviews, the book rambles. In the process, it reveals a chaos magick ritual designed to make a foolish man look foolish. Quite an accomplishment of magickal technqiue. If it didn't tend toward such sillyness it might more worthwhile. The endorsement of a bastardized Nietzschean concept of the superman is childishly pointless. Why should a psychopath want to influence the development of humanity? "Toxick Magick", or whatever cute name he wants to apply, is irrelevant and a waste of time.

The book has some interesting moments, but is overall not impressive at all.

I loved this book. After I read it I went back and re-read it, which is something I rarely do. And I'm sure I will read it again. The reason is I don't want to forget what he said. Dr. Hyatt certainly pulls no punches in this book. Everyone who is willing to read and take heed will be much better off, in my opinion. He pointed out most painfully what is wrong with the world, and I felt depressed for a while after I read it because I know that it probably won't be fixed ever, or at least not in my lifetime. The book made me feel great compassion and sadness for the millions and millions of childlike people in the world (And when I say that I don't mean the mentally retarded. I mean the average man on the street.) being used and abused by others who are more evolved, but instead of using their greater comprehension to help others, they have used it to exploit them. The only thing we can do is to keep evolving and to protect ourselves as best we can from those exploiters who seem to have found their way into places of power.

I don't mean to sound morbid. Dr. Hyatt has written other books to help people to evolve and to get out of the prison of dogma, the past, and most of all their own beliefs. I believe he is a very brilliant man, and I want to read all of his books. I feel sorry for those who don't understand what he says because it is to their own detriment.

This guy does nothing but build up straw men and then knocks them down. He attacks non-existent arguments as if people really are trying to ensnare him in some religious or neo-socialist, slave-like, schema. Don't waste your time. Read John Stuart Mill's essays on liberation instead.

I'm sorry; but I have to confess that I was somewhat disappointed after finishing The Psychopath's Bible. And that pisses me off, because I had really high expectations of it. And that's not very surprising, since one of its authors is Christopher S. Hyatt - known to be able to write books that outrage the everyday citizen - and both the back of the book and its introduction promise the content to be highly explosive, more or less sure to turn your entire world upside-down, and the whole thing will probably be banned any day soon. Sort of. And who is able to resist a book that should be banned? Furthermore, it's published by New Falcon Publications, known for their great books on magick, the occult, and controversial knowledge.

Ok, so perhaps I'm not entirely fair, after all, the book wasn't a complete disappointment. It did have its good sides, too. It packed with quotes about and observations of humankind, and most of them are just as comical as they are cynical and also true, even if it might be hard for you to accept the latter fact. Because Hyatt and Willis aren't afraid to speak their mind, they see most people out there as unnecessary, pathetic beings that the intelligent psychopath (that is, a human being who lives for himself, knows what he needs, and never hesitates to indulge in whatever pleasures life has to offer) both could and should exploit as much as possible. The word "psychopath" simply has gotten a bad reputation, according to the authors, and if you only know how to act then there's really nothing and nobody in the world that will stand in your way. In their own words: "Other people's stupidity is your resource. Help them remain stupid."

But, does this mean that psychopaths, as defined by the authors, are evil people? Yes and no. If it's evil to accept the truth and have the balls to take what one wants, then psychopaths are extremely evil. But on the other hand, much of what is being said in the book is quite redundant, and this is really the reason to why the book came out as somewhat of a surprise. Because, what the authors talk about is common sense, though perhaps described a little more harsh and in-your-face than most other help-yourself-books.

It's definitely not as controversial as I was promised that it would be, and the exercises at the end of the book, designed to make you the best psychopath you can possibly be, is actually rather stupid. Silly, even.

However, it was a good read from time to time, since it managed to mix the comical with the truth in an intelligent way. But still, a disappointment is never a funny thing, and especially not when it comes to the art of reading books.

On my shelf between Neitzsche's "Thus Spake Zarathustra" and Machiavelli's "The Prince", is Christopher Hyatt's PSYCHOPATH'S BIBLE. If you've ever desired to become a Neitzsche Superman but weren't quite sure how to go about it, this is THE handbook on the subject. Neitzsche said "Man is something to be surpassed" but left only vague clues that take a doctoral degree in philosophy to decipher. And even then it's only one man's opinion of the material. If you truly wish to transcend the human race then apply what you'll read in THE PSYCHOPATH'S BIBLE. I'm convinced it received so few stars from other reviewers because most normal people can't or won't wrap their minds around the material. Many people won't allow their minds to entertain new ideas for fear of accepting them! This is one of the few books that gives me the warm fuzzies when I read it. Finally a current book that represents my philosophy. I see used copies going for over a hundred bucks--and worth every penny!

Abrasive is a kind word for this work. CSH does for sociology, psychiatry and a good chunk of modern philosophy what the chaoists did for occult practice and Amazon to our bank accounts. Stripped it all down, and force feeds it to anyone who can survive the intro and subsequent pages. This book requires a psychic warning: "Danger will be hazardous to your thought process, so put it back kid and grab some safe porn!"

Tons of great stuff, espically if you just observe people about you. Terrifing. Tough to argue head on, as a matter of fact it looks for a challenge just like that.

It gets a high rating for it's warning purpose, it tells the rest of us that there are people like this out there, and we may be one of them(we all are if you take that route). And it helps those people refine their technique.

Two peoiple I know that read it ran screaming, one asked for me to take it and burn it. Having the 'nads I read it instead. BS filter on high, and dug in. Many insults, curious facts and opinions later, it was finished. Turly a magnum opus for psychopaths.

In the end, take from it what you need, not want, it has many lessons to teach. Do not let it reprogram you, it is like the many flavors of the bible in that respect. Never dismiss it, to ignore danger is to leave yourself open to it. Best to treat it like a wild animal, put it down when it goes rabid.

Brace yourselves, we've left Kansas.

Well, I couldn't tell if he was trying to be funny and had a really weird sense of humor or he was serious and seriously psychotic (not psychopathic, but rather delusional) Either way, two things are obvious here: 1) This guy is trying to make a niche for himself (pretty successfully, i might add), and 2) he's trying (desperately, it seems) to make SOME use, ANY use for those three letters after his name. No press is bad press, as they say and he's banking on that. But none of that evaluates the result of his great idea of celebrating the cultural taboo, in this case being a psychopath. I wish a reader could give this book 0 stars. It's basically a lot of self-indulgent "my view on the world" writing. What a waste of time for the reader. This guy thinks that a PhD allows him to educate all willing readers to the state of "the human condition." Wow, that's a pretty laudable goal, especially if he tries to accomplish it in one book and with only himself as the so-called "expert." He states that this book will cause him to be banished him from the "stifling" world of academia. I don't know who he's kidding, but it sounds to me like only his ego ever fit in world of academia. This is just a book filled with jargon that will attract all the "rebels without a cause" out there, and incase they aren't convinced, he's thrown in some shock-value to boot and sprinkled the book with some drawings of skulls and crossbones and occult symbols. I'm not impressed. If you're a true psychopath, no one needs to give you any advice about your life or yourself since you know very well what you want; plus you'll likely not follow anyone's advice anyway. If you're looking for shock-value, I suggest a free televised episode of Law and Order SVU. However, if you want to know anything about psychopathy, read Robert Hare's (also a PhD) pioneering work on the subject. In fact, although he was the first to write candidly on the subject, many others have followed in the last couple decade and done some good follow-up work. All "experts" on the subject of psychotpathy have said again and again that being a psychopath does not hurt the actual psychopath, in fact it pretty much gives them an edge in most realms, such as business, politics, law, etc... It instead leaves a trail of trauma behind in their wake for others to deal with. So in his "psychopath happy, victim unhappy" message this author brandishes no new information. He just packages it with a little more ego and a lot of bad writing. One thing he fails to tell his readers is that recent publications on psychopathy have revealed that psychopaths DO miss out on a big part of life - they can't bond with another human being. Many report fellings of "emptiness" or feeling "hollow." They necessitate a constant stream of excitement to compensate for the loss. They are utterly alone. It may be a condition to be feared, but evidently it may not be a condition to be envied. I do however, applaud the author's tact of coming out of the psychopathy closet. Wouldn't it be a safer world if all psychopaths so readily identified themselves to all those "bleeding hearts" out there "burdened" with a conscience? And, by the way, what's this guy's hang-up with Christianity? If you don't like Christianity (and there's a lot not to like, I grant him) walk away from it and find something else or just walk away. Big freaking deal. As long as he's still hung-up on it enough to do EVERYTHING THE OPPOSITE then he's, well, still being controlled by it. Oh, and you can't make yourself into a psychopath. (Sociopath, maybe, with a lot of help..) Just like psychopaths can't be cured and turned into "normal" people, to the great chagrin of many a well-meaning family member. So the little quizz or whatever it is at the end of the book is pretty silly.