Fanaticism Is a Disease Like Alcoholism
Fanatics Anonymous 12 Steps: At core, don’t blame the addict; blame the disease.
Posted Nov 04, 2014 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
Fanatics, ideologues, and absolutists are humanity’s greatest scourge. Whether they’re the leaders or the followers, fanatics are people who indulge in a heady, intoxicating, and toxic concoction of self-affirming, know-it-all confidence that they have unique access to absolute truths, truths so perfect that they have to impose them on everyone.
The absolute truths that fanatics latch onto might be religious or political, right-wing or left-wing, Christian or Islamic, libertarian or communist, new age spiritual or old-time religious. It’s not what they believe that makes them fanatics but how they believe it — that they have the final word, no need to consider further evidence, and no need to ever wonder or doubt themselves again.
Fanaticism is a drug. Let loose on society it's like crack cocaine or alcohol only worse. Fanatics drive through life like alcoholics driving under the influence. They think they’re perfectly fine driving. They kill innocent bystanders, sometimes by the thousands or millions.
We’ve learned though, that treating alcoholics as criminals doesn’t help us or them. Alcoholics Anonymous has been so successful in part because it gives the addict a graceful way out of the corner he or she is painted into. It’s hard to kick a drug if sobriety means admitting that you’re a vile person through and through. Shaming the addict can make him dig in his heels. It’s easier to kick it if you declare that you’ve become host to a virulent disease that can attack any of us. No one is exempt from the risk. It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility to kick it.
What's needed is an AA-style safe haven for recovering political and religious fanatics, ideologues and absolutists. Its message is, "Yes, you’re a wreck and have done real damage. But don't beat yourself up over it. Like so many of us, you became host to a powerful parasite that mutates quickly and has taken over minds throughout human history. Don't blame yourself. You are not alone. Join us. Together we can lick this thing."
Here’s a rough draft for the 12 Steps of Fanatics Anonymous:
- We admitted we were powerless over fanaticism—that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that Reason, a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Reason.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have Reason remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly invoked reason to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- Sought through inquiry, debate, conversation, curiosity, and doubt to improve our conscious contact with Reason seeking for better understanding of the human tension between what we want to believe and what’s most likely to be true.
- Having had an awakening to Reason as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to fanatics of all kinds, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Of course, the peculiar move here is replacing god with Reason, and more peculiar perhaps to repurpose the AA model for fanatics anonymous, what with AA’s surrender to god’s will, the most notorious excuse for fanaticism in fanaticism’s long and sordid history.
And what is Reason anyway?
Reason is nature’s gift to humankind and to the humanitarian impulse. It’s also called rationality, which comes from the same root as ratio, to compare, discern, evaluate, judging carefully and humbly in our efforts to find the better bets on how to live.
Reason is also related to logos, a word with diverse implications over the millennia but related to language, and logic, uniquely human gifts for our ongoing effort to understand the true ways of the world.
Ongoing — that’s how science practices reason. Where fanatics say “I reasoned once, came to the absolute truth and don’t have to reason again,” science, a practical practice we can learn to apply well beyond the lab, admits that there’s no last word, just today’s best guesses, to be improved upon through ongoing inquiry.
Sustained reason is just the hard work that addiction to fanaticism frees us from. No wonder fanaticism is so intoxicating. Being a know-it-all provides such powerful pain relief. Reason is a much harder master than god. Humbling ourselves to it is painful.
No wonder so many of us fall off the wagon.
Fanatics of Rationality
Fanatics, ideologues and absolutists, are society’s greatest scourge.
So what about fanatics of science and reason?
Thanks, Dr. Sherman. I like
Thanks, Dr. Sherman. I like the idea of framing it as a bet. On the one hand, it suggests that I'm doing something based on confidence, while on the other hand understanding that there's an element of subjectivity to my confidence. In that sense it can also be humbling to know that I could be wrong (about the bet).
To the blogger.
You should take care to avoid sexist language semantics in all your sentences, not just some of them. Haven't women suffered enough already, without needing to continue objecting to things like this...
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Yes. You wrote: " ... it gives the addict a graceful way out of the corner he or she has painted himself into.", taking great care to note that 'he or she' painted 'self' into a corner.
But then egregiously, you only spoke of "himself" and ignored "herself".
That you are a sexist I have no doubt.
But I struggle to work out whether you are anti-women by blithely ignoring the "herself" part, (women not sufficiently important) or whether you are anti-men because you expressly and pointedly suggest men paint themselves into a corner (and give women leeway by failing to point out they they, too, can paint themselves into a corner.)
Having now stopped seething because of your sexism, I have to say that your article utterly delighted me. I experienced it as creatively humorous, presciently adventurous intellectually and deliciously enticing embracing as it does, so many aspects to the vexed question of addition and it's characterisation.
The God/Reason bit was the cherry.
Thanks
You sly dog you!
You DID manage to correct your error, but in such a grammatically correct way that you betrayed your conservative and MCP bent.
You wrote: " ... addict a graceful way out of the corner he or she has painted into.".
This phrasing is both sexually neutral and grammatically correct, but, but, ...
You should have written: " ... addict a graceful way out of the corner he or she has painted themselves into.".
This phrasing, though grammatically incorrect - reflexively plural pronoun (themselves) despite the singular nominative pronouns (he/she) - marks one as a member of the cuddly and closeted politically correct mob where sentiment trumps everything.
I'm afraid that your correction gives the lie to your assertion: "Actually only one is to reform grammar traditions to honor women more appropriately".
Your current correction merely rephrases your words to honour women. To honour women more appropriately would require you to distort English usage to indicate that you really really get it.
A politically correct writer never betrays themselves as you have.
Not sure if I shall read any of your posts again.
I'm enjoying the irony of
I'm enjoying the irony of these politically correct and feminist responses to your article. Both are known for having very fanatic and hyper-vigilant followers.
Actually treating addicts as criminals works great
Science and Reason prove that 'swift and certain punishment' for drug use reduces drug addiction:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/06/hawaii_hope_probation_program_reduces_crime_drug_use_and_time_in_prison.html
And that AA is no more effective than spontaneous remission:
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/23/the_pseudo_science_of_alcoholics_anonymous_theres_a_better_way_to_treat_addiction/
The claim that "Alcoholics Anonymous has been so successful" seems more like the 'know-it-all confidence' of the 12 Step fanatic who tries to impose that belief on everyone.
Perhaps we just need a 12 Step program for 12 Step fanatics.
while we are on the topic
how about a thirteen step program for anti-twelve step fanatics?
They already have it
Lots of people are working hard to expose the 12 Step cults and in fact there's a documentary coming out soon called "The 13th Step". Of course, it's challenging because of their entrenched power at all levels of society, academia and government. But the false doctrine of 'addiction' is finally being exposed, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Thank God for fanatics!
when anything is misused
A frustrating and predictable thing about people is that anything at all that works for some can be misused by another in all sorts of inventive ways. While you are praising the existiance of anti-twelve step fanatics, I am thankful for the twelve-stpe group that nearly fourty years ago gave me back my father- and gave him the support to stay with us. Sure, their are groups that are wacky as heck. seen them too. Everything and anything ca be missused. But fanatics refuse to see where good can be done. And that is NOT particularly smart.
Thank you for a good article
Thank you for a good article and a kind, well thought response!
Let's Open Up This Can of Worms and Go Fishing!!!
Hi Doctor Sherman,
Another regretful and unfortunate sabbatical from commenting on your posts, but as usual I'm keeping up the reading. And, as usual it's because you keep serving up ridiculously delicious brain food.
Anyhoo, as I read this post and all of the above comments I can't help but think of a "fraternal twin conundrum". The classic AA Twelve Step Program has often been criticized as merely trading one addiction for another i.e. alcohol for God, which as has been pointed out can and does directly lead to fanaticism. And, as stated the Fanatics Twelve Steps can directly lead to addiction to Reason. But, don't Twelve Step Fanatics risk trading their fanaticism for a chemical addiction whether it be alcohol or narcotics? And, finally, at what point would someone consider themselves to be in an endless cycle of Twelve Step Programs to deal with all the other Twelve Step Programs? Just writing all this out is damn near causing my head to explode! ;-)
No matter how we slice this pie the common theme appears to be trading addictions that need to be dealt with. Personally, I take pleasure in the constant struggle with doubt. Not in a masochistic way, mind you, but in a deeply romantic consideration of life's amazing possibilities. As I may have said in previous comments I believe it's that struggle with uncertainty that characterizes, hell maybe even defines our human existence.
As usual, I've gone on quite a rant here, but man this brain steak was too juicy to not take a bite. Maybe calling this a "fraternal twin conundrum" doesn't quite characterize what I'm describing here. Any idea what you might call this? And what do you think about said conundrum?
Whatever your thoughts, as usual, keep up the awesome work Doc! :-D
May I barge in?
Hello Stephen
You addressed your post to Doctor Sherman so I hope my response isn't too much of an unseemly intrusion.
It is a conundrum indeed, because "fraternal twin conundrum" is sexist and Dr Sherman is already in deep deep water over his craven sexism.
"Sororal twin conundrum" also won't do because the simplistic gender swapping merely whitewashes the sexist conundrum.
How about "ouroboral twin paradox".
An Ouroboros is quintessentially asexual, depicting as it does, the snake eating itself, the perfect metaphor for the kind of self-referential paradox you have raised. And substituting 'paradox' for 'conundrum' really is a neat and sophisticated swap which characterises that struggle with uncertainty which characterizes, hell maybe even defines the zany confabulation I am now using to explain how clever the conundrum/paradox really is!
If you know what I mean.
The explainer explaining the explanation. Now that's a paradox, er, I mean conundrum.
I Like It, I Like It!!!
Hi Mike,
No worries about barging in. I'm glad I was able to help stimulate some thought. Ouroboral Twin Paradox... Thanks for the suggestion, and I appreciate the superb wordsmithing!
Hi Doctor Sherman, A toast,
Hi Doctor Sherman,
A toast, then to goodictions, and those of us afflicted with them! Might I also add gnosis to the list of goodictions? Considering your delightfully silly limerick, and gnosis' rightful place within Orthodox history, I thought it might be appropriate. Thanks for your response!
Fanaticism a way of get what you want from people
Good article, I've seen first-hand how fanatics from all religions create not just their own strong believes (valid if just keeping them for themselves) but hate between people. This behavior can divide families and even societies. I'm catholic and like to pray but that's it,I see it as a personal way to a spiritual road. But I've seen people (from my own religion) that have tried to imposed a lot of ideas of how something is bad for me or is evil. As an example someone told me once that I was forgetting god and that I wasn't a good "christian" because I like to do Yoga and meditation. Also, social media has helped somehow to increase hate, people that I know write a lot of hate messages some of them fake writings against other religions. I know this people and they are really manipulators more than a disease what they are looking for is to use religion in their advantage, like the one that criticized me for doing yoga, but is using religion to manipulate her husband and get what she wants in terms of material things. For me this is not just toxic but dangerous, and I really prefer to have these people out of my life.
Thank you.
Alcoholics Anonumous Succesful?
I like the article, I have a tendency to think of my own ideas as "more right" and when people disagree I rationalize it as their inability to understand me intellectually. This is a good chance to start working on that, I'm sure that this is how most fanatics defend their egos.
"Alcoholics Anonymous has been so successful in part because it gives the addict a graceful way out of the corner he or she is painted into." Alcoholics anonymous has been so successful? If I am not mistaken studies show that roughly 5-10% of people who go through AA are able to get and stay sober. This seems low enough to at least justify investigating other forms of treatment. I would make the case that this is some form of institutionalized fanaticism, in the sense that there is really no reason backing our institutionalized support of the organization Alcoholics Anonymous. It doesn't work yet as a society we continue to defend and support it. What are your thoughts on this?
I ask your opinion because I
I ask your opinion because I notice that you have a Masters in public policy and this seems to pertain to fanaticism in the public policy sector. Hopefully you get back to me :)
What hole is fanaticism replacing
Recently, a close friend of mine ended her relationship with a covert narcissist (as best as she could tell that that person had a NPD). A few months later, she embraces a new age philosophy (doesn't matter which one). While I see pros and cons, mostly I didn't think about it at all until we celebrated her birthday recently. Everything was in accordance with her new philosophy...the food, the cake, the gifts, and entertainment. I celebrated, because that's what friends do, but I realized that now she will never celebrate my birthday in the way that I like to celebrate because it's against her beliefs. We've been friends for 30 + years and I'm trying to balance continuing the friendship against the fanaticism of her new beliefs. I'm backing off a little bit from seeing her because I'm very angry about it. Not sure where the anger has come from, and I find it very surprising!
Sorry I'm about 5 years late to the thread.