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fanaticism

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fanaticism

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thumb|The Fanatics of Tangier by Eugène Delacroix, [[Minneapolis Institute of Arts]] Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or an obsessive enthusiasm. The political theorist Zachary R. Goldsmith provides a "cluster account" of the concept of fanaticism, identifying ten main attributes that, in various combinations, constitute it: messianism, inappropriate relationship to reason (irrationality), an embrace of abstraction, a desire for novelty, the pursuit of perfection, an opposition to limits, the embrace of violence, absolute certitude, excessive passion, and an attract

AI overview

Fanaticism is an intense, uncritical devotion to a belief or cause, characterized by features like excessive passion, rejection of reason, and a pursuit of perfection at any cost. It matters because understanding fanaticism—which can include tendencies toward violence, absolute certainty, and opposition to any limits—helps us recognize and address extreme ideological movements that shape politics and society.

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Subclass of
behavior
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topic's main category
Category:Fanaticism
different from
fan
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Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Definitions
  • Causes
  • Similar behaviors
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

thumb|The Fanatics of Tangier by Eugène Delacroix, [[Minneapolis Institute of Arts]] Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or an obsessive enthusiasm. The political theorist Zachary R. Goldsmith provides a "cluster account" of the concept of fanaticism, identifying ten main attributes that, in various combinations, constitute it: messianism, inappropriate relationship to reason (irrationality), an embrace of abstraction, a desire for novelty, the pursuit of perfection, an opposition to limits, the embrace of violence, absolute certitude, excessive passion, and an attractiveness to intellectuals.

==Definitions==

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “fanaticism” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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