Eric Hoffer

One of my favorite philosophers is Eric Hoffer.  He was popular when I was in collage as the longshoreman philosopher.  When he retired from the docks he wrote several thin books composed of very short paragraphs.  The two books I remember where “The True Believer” and “The Passionate State of Mind”.  In the True Believer he outlined his belief that the dynamics of believing in a cause; being part of a movement, provided emotional support. For many adherents to a cause the logic or values of the cause had very little to do with their fanaticism.

“Weak” people tend to immerse themselves in a cause as a source of identity.   They claim the supposed worth of the cause as their own worth.

I remember several of his pithy one liners.

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“Rudeness is the Weak Man’s imitation of strength.”

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“It is sad, but most of us know ourselves chiefly by hearsay.”

In Hoffer’s thinking the strong character knows who he is and what he believes without relying on external sources. He knows himself as an individual not as a member of a class or group or as a "Believer".

Thinking about Eric Hoffer’s writings was also my introduction to the idea that there are many factors involved in why a person holds one political opinion over another.  Factors separate from logical self-interest religion or personal philosophy.  I have been pondering questions such as who are conservatives for 30 years.