Conversations with Eric Hoffer; 4; The Nature of Man

ose in a series of six half hour conversations between there a call for richard rove the earth writing in the new yorker magazine described eric offer as a born generalize or with a mind that inclines to the rye epigram on the icy aphorism as naturally as did that of the duke beer roche of the call but the bare copper takes pride in the construction of clean and lucid sentences he takes greater pride in the fact that before he is a writer and a political theorist he is a working man his ensure the next and palaces of forty years of manual labor in the factories the field the minds and on the docks and the docks of san francisco during the

twenty years he's been a longshoreman he has written three books each acclaim an important contribution to political theory the first the true believer treats were the nature of mass movements in the men who make them as was followed by a collection of two hundred and eighty aphorisms under the title the passionate state of mind his most recent book the ordeal of change examines the crisis of self esteem that results when the individuals confronted by the new and the unknown that job offer last time we talked about america is the only mass society and you spoke briefly about the role of the week i'd like to begin to asking you about the nature of man critically man as a week animal week this is actually the my simple prayer for this debate you know you read these the ordeal of changes

and you'll see it would back whole flock or thick jeans fancied ideal of the year a quick call trees with a year they're working at an employer with the intellectual and the masses i do i have a chapter and sets a trap get that i i have i tell about the birth of the cities or civilizations the birth of the talks themselves what in other words so many teams and that anybody you know who received the grocery just looks weak he thinks that i am just warming in a solid interactions actually was that they all like i had just one thing from an old these fees i guess for us it's an ice or one single thing for i suspect that the everybody has a center built a patient an end and if you can define what that something broken bases

but we have a key to that right now i want to talk show you how we're affected everything that i think comes from that simple principal from it might sound like enough of it is about that we need to help arrest edie these inherent that lead a few to fugitives and the numbers i was in indiana now i have a concrete mind another profession for loss of identity with abstract microphone out of my experience was of my life just the way it as before or road or eventually ruled out of the three to see and you know you can see how this whole milk <unk> isherwood weeks that i i mean i said at the age of seventeen and there are three years later my father died in nineteen twenty he left just a few hundred dollars i think and to about three hundred dollars incentive to go to california and the end of the book a ticket to los angeles i had about one of the events that and you might say that i was hospitals

overnight on the nursery to be done together that's what was good in the sense i spent their opinions on skid row and did it then uses a vibrant the migratory workers you know as i spent all night with a weak with hundreds i was an acting for just came out of that but there's something that i identify myself with the way that i feel is that we see you know three years in the system and when the london hospital isn't the goal what is it before i realized that i belonged to a certain type of humor and for over forty years old see it for those for the effectiveness of just as a human being then the whole la campus and it was only you in the last chapter on the nineteen seventies this by the way that you see the very easy to recapitalize like a story i describe how the first time i realized that i belonged to a certain type of human eye and this was when i landed in

the french and checked in they can get established but a settlement during the depression for the unemployed migratory workers that's for the first time see that i realized that that i belonged to the undesirable you know and he was surprised i was in his heart and guided to live war ii by the discovery of gold or i give a career's maker is about a privately with which of them all and i still remember recently when i really started to think on the subject i i left a simple tip that day it said fried chicken was an essential in and do about it and i see them up for four or weeks and then i had the right of evil and the next morning and it's the middle of enjoying that and that was thirty years ago into what just that as point on the backseat if you have a few stores surrounded by pollen grains the grapefruit orchards and macho father feels and suddenly your boss into the desert government was an assiduous and see what

wonderful job it would be you know to turn visited the garden and then he wants to see it has a production crew is about a week and pick their qualities of the roll the plane in history the theory of the role that believing in india in the development of humanity and ed pieces of your mind and i had never been to you know i thought well i don't know how it's now about twenty years ago you got out of the lord as you were in the whites aren't you left you had the big joe's scientists in the mountains you write you had to do some of the militants there and the heads of the russian base for me to think is on the road on an ottoman it does it through the walk alone with few months and part of like this guy you know in the wedding was having wings a fight and that's and i walked there i suddenly discovered

not much as it if we i mean we the person wonders what to restaurants aren't going to be paved you know it was just like you're making the connection between france and why you need it i saw the questions of who will wear these pioneers with every day according to the nie say that they believe you sent that was that the way this although there are defined as the brain has its own support there will begin thinking long term he wants to get hold of a problem that it opens up before you you realized that that it was the week who who are the pioneers and for years afterwards where does everything away with that land out of everything now i continue at the oriole or fed at a mortar and pay people more the news of his old varnish a lot of the things that i'm successful who formed in ways of expression that speech his actual activity unsuccessful businessman that starts a new recess without a force in the movie industry holtz eakin that so much to imagine that

an absence of a lot of people that it wants it's not an old time movie the sweet blessing that the actor who people started to think you know that it's brought to head the actors should stop always and the body doesn't help you were much if you are a logical person you will say what the third bacon said in his essays the area has an essay on plantations that are going on and he said it's an awful thing for this to stop is he wanted the best people to stop common is they're not anybody that just is it a bit of a subject you can see what would happen if the school was captured by the best people on the testing that amount of intellectuals about a professor that's a portmanteau successful people from germany from france from all three apple why you would have no united states and all you would have just like sweet sweet little little little state that one you might want to talk it is that we can always wooden poles the week to undertake these new ventures obviously the mom of humanity

knows that with the baby that that each week i looked at that and behind the woman at her opel beside the purge by the wayside but the show for just by in the pressure and the show them on that's where the goals it's the big the week it being the from human they have a real mile they're the model of the universe you know an end user and that sentiment a live thing that we have the ideal life in the week i know about the week i know them up in the weeds back to alchemy alchemy all the mommies always a printing all be is something at jersey people tremendous things the sea salt you see all the things the ideals of course my my job officially week suddenly wanted to believe that enough vivid lesson that

the weak nook would buy your head at the seminal few rants but also spiked a new religious movements all support the rest of the it act and high heat the movie that's sensible people people like huxley people a battery of quincy during the nineteenth century that that they gave strong sunlight but it's only the storm was on friday you said the week so i think that st paul was a much more sober and much more scientific sociologist the old order to know what's in polls say and god has chosen the week things of the world but found the things that i might eat and things that i'm not put them up things that are these victims he says investment happening there right now you can see all along what's happening what's happening right now with all that talking bumblebees for marbles and their song we see the weakest nation in the world the weakest people in the world getting on the stage of history they're considering themselves the image in the vanguard of humanity and of course you have to have it

this capacity for self delusion of them in just the past week due to convince yourself to lie to yourself imagine a nation that's trying to kick chapter more with older peoples' guess the views on this is its elder deeds in the rundown of humanity that only show the way but her assessment an immediate and sometimes they don't sometimes after we got all that we have given that we live is all about what it might be about a little that's kind of leverage when you get it was an innovation small weak states in greece all week states illegally it's all within a week but then everything about the winking that most innovation up you can see an indie invaded there's an ordeal of change how i show how that we were the first film to fugitives hooded eyes everywhere you go further back than that mr harper you argue that man was born with a c see what i would how its self righteousness

without me this is yours would also on your vacation i sure that the week not only on the vanguard of everything actually that it but that was the week was made possible by a simple humanity of men becoming human i tried to throw as i try to show how the week we're probably the first chase novel the force you know they were the first war correct and just tell them they have one a week one of the strong state with awareness that in the forest there frank vega successful people don't want change they don't want anything only stay right where they are and of course that they said they they year essence of men's uniqueness is the fact that eats with some idea that it might be true about they exceed it drew about things that might be true about horses and two about anything else but he has nothing nothing nothing about five

humanities he ruled that the song sung by its slow cruel benefits of i see all our energy or our bipartisan comes from that it fits right to thicken the and this is why he's i think those ones that in the present either once we shape the future the equally successful that's how the president thing they hold we record before happily noted and that are no longer needed i think it was awarded to the mess that is more courageous about change because he doesn't even understand the consequences of what he's doing when he's not cautious all normal court has nothing to do with these very common source at the black youth and abilities you'd be surprised the crucial that we essentially are they do you think for instance say as successful people on successful people easy and there and you have some of this vast accomplish what the successful people will tell you right away that it's impossible to get experts never really know they'll tell you right away it's in last

week they shy away from the boss of the possible would show up that we collect the aggravating think about the clock at the beginning he wants to try the impossible because the nba than one ally eve they fail then it causes sure that they are incompetent a tremendous visible but that's an ad it's it's a remarkable how it works how it will actually yesterday weeks episode we do it because you must have been thinking about and do we use of people right now as you can imagine get in giza and in it and that's part of its horrible and i had kind of a few competent to advise but somebody if you would like to see that that the negro people is to please the role it has to play the

role of the week you know and the role of the weeklies to show as a new lie to transform politically none of our managers there at the leadership can look only to see next next bid to do some like fashion even as the humble medicine you should come as the message of a new life as a cure all for our youth for an edge of prince's first was himself and the negro community reeling me good admired and really curious all but as you can sell it in other words it's not right it's not right when we say that we have to be cautious it's not right when we say we have to work within the limits of our own means look at the jews in palestine in iraq the true believer in nineteen forty the first the first draft and if you didn't get there you'll see out plus there is in writing that about whether that time they the jews were fighting about a starving sea and you can see that the sweeping new rule they knew they had to read they knew they

had a rapidly possible you may of finance minister was called the minister of the impossible the thing we're not realistic what options would have a head even when it is taking the side of the situation for the million arabs and a few thousand fugitive from augusta know what what what they do have that see saw and then again as i say the convention the new cd we want to leave once wanted out of what he wants and how he wants to be a situation where if he feels a but they won because now you know that if you start if you like that they have a common view on the usual this if you fail but if you can like not everybody knows that innovation is that something absolutely new skill doesn't count experienced doesn't count experts are a place their feet and then everybody knows you can find alternate that you are an

eye you hear of a problem song on our waterfront do that everything that's newly born is supposed to be the ap reported him as saying what song baubles beach house on a state that anything that's newly born a it looks and i'm sure the bacon little ones and what then he slowly from the forefront of political tv was settled with autism and spanish say fear but you can see what a wonderful set up the uk the innovation we do price of the event never get by before forty four for the week he and the new woman on the waterfront to infuse season and what they see as a partner you see right away that he can't do his ship and decide what is only one that survived so you're born which you this for something like bastien is a man who can

hardly do you share any time he gets his chance to help somebody else is right there you have the teamsters you about the sailors everybody i have to look around in foreign aid across i know why what is it or to say as a fine everywhere but you see he's at his best when he does something and by monday on his duty because when you when when when you do you knew the lab that very strictly see but how clumsy lab when nobody's got from him in the praise automatically naturally he drifted into situations you know where is wisconsin this is incompetence within the conspicuous you have argued that man is a half animal mr offer a man was born weak and incomplete an incomplete and he is a funny and a forty and what you know and kind of the panel really is there isn't worth and

the but hsu annapolis but we will bulk of its wealth of rice the theory that the men developed from aig and what they've seen and the wealthy man mutations that the embryo that someday and religion can see the minister's and i was born isn't a real menace to some i didn't reopen it every now and again to me the scenes de it is a combat it off and then you know is that he's only one thing we were doing the only young bird of i got to the rock they look at a buffalo look at it do you want to see is that you would think that the buffalo their city than just walking the talk everybody's of the mausoleum looking at all these adult that all serious old the mole seeing a new compilation song in the long ago some of the way they see it would seem a playfulness at emirates fishes insects and the advantage

this is weekend edition and we have more specialized audience you know he hasn't grown up what one mean when you say that and what rules are well is needed it is now right at me and with a specialist the men had more specialized audience get more specialized adaptation and this is where he is he's his development there used to be his weakness is weakness being on a table yet the fishes of integrate your have to use tools our associates what and by the way the subject that you see again and again how in this book i returned to the sense of how i sure that the sheep faculty only is that they can invent funk bass the substitutes for all the activities of the all the head still oh that's on the powerful you cannot understand the week was there they unless

you realize but what do we take is not the wickedness of witness that's one eight and one this is all that hate hate of the witnesses at the roof so we didn't sell and as i told you i look at it a rising sea i know all the slang to ease their seat and i have tremendous admiration for human beings because i have realized it but the core value of the tremendous processing that has a warm bacon cheese processing of turning slimy build things of beauty and and ends and then as somebody you see now in india is ordeal of change i show how i became interested in either uniqueness of it the philosopher and the senate is supposed to be going on a vital problems early july that's when i get the address the nation at the time just being pushed into a busy and i wanted to show

you how very interested and the rise of of the modern day the auction this election that the interest in the rise of the world what this is right up and said well i was in prison a week in the back seat and i any child with the view that all the bees but with quote is frightened it's debilitating if it out and then you start to wonder how we became the way we have become interested in modern india in the rise of sciences also for so for years and years you have you finally arrive yourself with a rival sides ended at the rival of modern civilization and all in one human evil things you'll find in all beautiful they see they ate the earliest there are a man of science the supreme court this week he didn't give them that is the confidence of the bush or one was that god will be the zone's think that god was about the jury that he wasn't just playing bass with a

universe that he made those who are he operated the world you know the weather may be the most that there were laws and there were rules and the second is to think it was that that he was just fifteen new simple tricks just if you know say goodbye to our second single actor see two great his whole world that's all familiar to us you know we know that you have a solar system and you will do that then you crack gather what you find and other sources the optimism during thought you could study anything there you discover at that the cleveland you score of iran than us florida back and then if you have that you're fine singing equation be an altogether different thing you know it was because you had this concept of god the modern science was funded you were like oh yeah i said that but that that he continue on these and show you how it which us please about the segment i want to show you how stepping out with a week stepping out of the

old precinct application all of a sudden i get so then i begin to wonder how many got out of the donald out above the tiny legs their ends it ends and stop it to get too close to speak so all this i was struck again again by the fact that only the curious ids and value kept their new view all along reading in the subpoena simplicity of great thing that they did a major love simplicity says kepler and their newton says that that eat these beings they're the home office about who was called us and if you meet people and be contemporary zobel scientists would interest in human nature and mother nature you won't hear nothing about simplicity all the where we talk about the complexity of men between washington's also for this we ask our was absolutely certain the men was that and he didn't quite the order that their plato and aristotle should prescribe the society that we estimate

are special in that house and the euro it's meant was an actor and this is what i that's not to say that the difference between men in each and from that starting point as i crawled into an effect it or what ie is the real the real as a crucial asset government seems to be i am not interested and in the simple and i don't you know again where women take what a kind of a big open a pillow of my interest is how medicaid money is how we roll so these he's not been given think it's not the complete thing thats up to fifty three you have to work ethic kenya's elite and it's important it's important is that they and many times you can see how well you manage the tires of his burden shifts the burden on the shoulder and finally the opposite and then you have a mass movement is i could pick it up at this point and our next conversation that offer

and brad talk a bit about the true believer the nature of mass movements and this uniqueness of you spoken of an unmanned thank you very much that was the fourth in a series of six over half our conversations between erik offer and james day general manager of kqed sentences this is a national educational television

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