Disefio de cubierta:

CD Form, S. L.
Servicios Editoriales

Titulo original:
The True Believer
A Margaret Anderson
sin cuya estimulante ayuda a traves
de un continente no se
hubiera podido escribir este libra

El hombre quiere ser grande, y se ve pequeño; quiere ser

Reservados todos los derechos. El contenido de esta obra esta
protegido por la Ley, que establece penas de prisi6n y/o multas,
ademas de las correspondientes indemnizaciones por dafios y
perjuicios, para quienes reprodujeren, plagiaren, distribuyeren 0
comunicaren publicamente, en todo 0 en parte, una obra literaria,
artistica 0 cientifica, 0 su transformaci6n, interpretaci6n 0 ejecuci6n
artistica fijada en cualquier tipo de soporte 0 comunicada a traves de
cualquier medio, sin la preceptiva autorizaci6n.
feliz, y se ve miserable; quiere ser perfecto, y se ve lleno de
imperfecciones; quiere ser objeto de amor y de la estima de
los hombres, y ve que sus defectos no merecen sino su aver-
sión y su desprecio. Esta situacion embarazosa en que se
encuentra produce en él la más injusta y criminal pasión
que es posible imaginar; porque concibe un odio mortal
contra esta verdad quele reprende yle convence de sus de-
fectos.
PASCAL, Pensées
Y tenian betún en lugar de argarnasa.
Génesis, 11

© ERIC HOFFER, 2009

© Del pr6logo JULIO SEOANE REY, 2009
© De la traducci6n ADELA GARZ6N PEREZ, 2009
© EDITORIAL TECNOS (GRUPO ANAYA, S. A.), 2009
Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena, 15 - 28027 Madrid
ISBN: 978-84-309-4870-3
Maquetaci6n: Grupo Anaya
Dep6sito Legal: M-12.246-2009

Printed in Spain. Impreso en Espafia por Fernandez Ciudad

 INDICE

PRÓLOGO: EL FANATISMO DE ANTES Y DE AHORA, por

Julio Seoane ........................................................ Pág. 13

EL VERDADERO CREYENTE

PREFACIO ..................................................................... 35

PRIMERA PARTE
EL ATRACTIVO DE LOS MOVIMIENTOS
DE MASAS

I. EL DESEO DE CAMBIO ............................ 39

II. EL DESEO DE SUSTlTUTlVOS ................ 52
III. EL CARACTER INTERCAMBIABLE DE
LOS MOVIMIENTOS DE MASAS ............ 59

SEGUNDA PARTE
EL CONVERSO POTENCIAL

IV. EL PAPEL DE LOS INDESEABLES EN

LOS ASUNTOS HUMANOS ...................... 67
V. ELPOBRE ................................................... 70
1. EL NUEVO POBRE ....................................... 70
2. EL DESESPERADAMENTE POBRE .................. 72

9
 CUARTA PARTE
3. EL POBRE LIBRE ························································ 77
COMIENZO Y FINAL
4. EL POBRE CREATIVO ······················································· 81
5. EL POBRE UNIDO ·········································· 83
Xv. HOMBRES DE PALABRAS ······················ 221
VI. INADAPTADOS ·············································· 100 XVI. LOS FANATICOS ······················ 241
VII. EL EGOISTA INMODERADO ·················· 103 XVII. LOS HOMBRES PRACTICOS DE ACCIÓN 247
VIII. EL AMBICIOSO FRENTE A OPORTUNI- XVIII. BUENOS Y MALOS MOVIMIENTOS DE
DADES ILIMITADAS ··································· 104 MASAS ····················································· 255
IX. MINORlAS ················································ 105 1. LA REPUGNANCIA Y ESTERILIDAD DE LA FA-
X. EL ABURRIDO ············································ 107 SE ACTIVA ············································································ 255
XI. LOS PECADORES ······································ 109 2. FACTORES QUE DETERMINAN LA DURACIÓN
DE LA FASE ACTIVA ·························································· 262
3. MOVIMIENTOS UTILES DE MASAS ························· 270
TERCERA PARTE
ACCION UNIFICADA Y AUTOSACRlFICIO

XII. PROLOGO ··················································· 113

XIII. FACTORES QUE IMPULSAN EL AUTOSA-
CRlFICIO ···················································· 118
1. IDENTIFICACIÓN CON UNA TOTALIDAD COLEC-
TIVA ······························································································· 118
2. SIMULACIÓN ································································· 124
3. DESPRECIO DEL PRESENTE······································· 128
4. «COSAS QUE NO SON» ············································· 139
5. DOCTRINA ······································································ 143
6. FANATISMO ······································································ 150
7. MOVIMIENTOS DE MASAS Y EJERCITOS........ 157

XlV. AGENTES UNIFICADORES ····················· 161

1. ODIO ················································································ 161
2. IMITACIÓN ····································································· 177
3. PERSUASIÓN Y COERCIÓN ···································· 182
4. LIDERAZGO ····················································· 193
5. ACCIÓN ····································································· 206
6. SOSPECHA ········································································· 212
7. LOS EFECTOS DE LA UNIFICACIÓN ·················· 215

11
10