The Authoritarians

A highly accessible and frankly enjoyable introduction to authoritarianism, written by someone who has studied the topic for decades. Perhaps the most important takeaway is that authoritarian followers are driven by one major desire: to appear “normal”. This feature of their psychology is highly exploitable, both by reactionary leaders and progressive movements. If we want to make the world a more equitable place, we need to stop asking for their permission. Make the world better around them, and they will adapt even faster than we will.

Altemeyer is, however, something of a centrist. He argues toward the end that the main problem with the American Right is not its conservative ideology but its high concentration of authoritarians. I obviously disagree with that point, but I find the rest of his observations highly illuminating. In particular, it has helped me to see that many apparent contradictions in conservative belief are not in fact contradictions. To put it most succinctly, “don't try to examine it through the lens of facts. It's all about loyalty.”