Popular delusion history and crowd psychology
Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
A classic historical survey of popular delusions, economic bubbles, and social manias. Mackay explores the psychology behind mass hysterias, including the South Sea Bubble, the Mississippi Scheme, and 'Tulipomania'. Significantly for this collection, he provides extensive chapters on the history of the witch-hunts, the crusades, and the search for the philosopher's stone (alchemy), treating them as irrational collective delusions. It is a foundational work of social psychology and skepticism.
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Contents16 chapters
- 01Introduction
- 02Volume I: National Delusions
- 03The Mississippi Scheme
- 04The South Sea Bubble
- 05The Tulipomania
- 06Volume II: Peculiar Follies
- 07The Alchymists
- 08Modern Prophecies
- 09Fortune Telling
- 10The Magnetisers
- 11Volume III: Philosophical Delusions
- 12The Slow Poisoners
- 13Haunted Houses
- 14Popular Admiration of Great Thieves
- 15Duels and Ordeals
- 16Relics
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