We explain what fanaticism is, what the oldest fanaticisms are. Also, the types of fanaticism that exist today.
What is fanaticism?
Fanaticism is the vehement following and defense of a person, doctrine or religion in an extremely passionate way, thus losing any critical sense of what one is a fanatic about.
The suffix ism It refers to a doctrine, a particular belief. On the other hand, the term fan refers to a rather enthusiastic follower of a particular person or thing.
Fanaticism, on many occasions, breaks the barriers of rationality and leads people to take actions that can even go against common sense. It is important to clarify that the fanatic person is very different from a faithful follower or from those who have a very strong taste about a certain person or thing.
fanaticism It is characterized by its vehemence and speech, generally violent which tends to defend and exacerbate one's position against any contrary opinion. This is why fanaticism today is frowned upon by society, since it threatens the democratic values of dialogue and tolerance.
To reach the extreme of fanaticism, the person must have an appropriate psychological structure for this; However, the object of which the person becomes a fan must have certain particular characteristics, in fact It is not possible to be a fan of a work of art or a technological innovation.
Fanaticism requires a doctrine or institution with which it feels totally identified, which transcends the merely individual level, which penetrates into the totality of its essence and feels that the latter revolves around what it ascribes. The classic philosophical expression is often used: «as if he held the key to the world» to describe this feeling. Therefore, fanaticisms are usually religious and political, mainly.
See also: Fidelity
Older fanaticisms
Religious fanaticisms appear to be the oldest and most controversial. in them the absolute lack of questioning stands out since they are orthodox believers, and accept dogmas to an extremely dangerous point. From self-flagellation to great massacres, religious fanaticism is today seen as one of the great evils that humanity must face.
Such is the case of Muslim fanaticism, which involves the sacrifice of one's life in pursuit of a life beyond this world. One of the clearest examples of Muslim fanaticism was seen in the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon by the terrorist group Al Qaeda, against the United States of America.
For its part, political fanaticism is a very similar variant in the fanatic's own structure, but in this case it is in the party (generally under the figure of a charismatic leader) where he finds the total and absolute meaning of his life, where take the cause as their own and support it to the ultimate consequences.
Types of fanaticism
The different types of fanaticism that exist today can refer to an affinity or disagreement with either a certain person, an ideology, a religion, a hobby or a particular sport.
- Religion A religious fanaticism will be one in which a certain dogma, sacred books or even certain gods are defended.
- Idealization of a person A fanaticism towards a particular person occurs when the so-called «fan» or fan admires or feels enthusiasm for that one. Some clear examples are usually when you are a fan of an actor, a musician or even any celebrity for whom you admire their lifestyle or way of thinking and, in some cases, imitate some of their characteristics to be able to resemble their life. person.
- Sport In the case of sports, fanaticism can come in a positive and negative way. If the person is a fan of a certain team, they will almost automatically be against the other teams that compete with it. In this case, fanaticism can have certain negative consequences since it often leads to violent acts of various kinds among them.
- Anti-religious At the same time, there are fanaticisms that position themselves on the opposite side of religious fanaticism to oppose them. Anti-religious fanatics can also lead to violent consequences because they express their discontent and can lead to confrontations between themselves.
