Guest professor: Francesco Gallino (University of Turin)

  • November 15 (10 a.m., Room 2, MSH Bx)

Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931) is best known today for his Psychology of Crowds (1895). His thoughts on irrational crowds influenced the development of twentieth-century social sciences, from psychoanalysis to sociology and political theory. But what exactly does “irrational” mean? At this level, Le Bon's pamphlet has often been considered scientifically vague by researchers. This impression changes, however, if – as Le Bon himself always recommended – we broaden our gaze to his many other works. For example Man and Societies (1881): a book in which great importance is given to the functioning of the spinal cord, the neural systems of lower vertebrates and the links between ethology, evolution and behavior. Or even Current Riding (1892): a riding manual which is also a reflection on conditioning and obedience. Le Bon's numerous works devoted to animal “instincts” – their genesis, their transmission, their modifiability – allow us to better understand his studies on social and political psychology. The irrational and the unconscious thus appear in a different light. Not as dark forces to be repressed or liberated. But rather as “non-rational” but very effective ways of orienting oneself in the world.

Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931) is best known today for his Psychology of Crowds (1895). His reflections on irrational crowds have influenced the evolution of twentieth-century social sciences, from psychoanalysis to sociology and political theory. But what does “irrational” mean exactly? On this level, Le Bon's pamphlet has often been judged scientifically vague by scholars. This impression, however, changes if – as Le Bon himself always recommended – we broaden our gaze to his many other works. For example Man and Societies (1881): a book in which much importance is given to the functioning of the spinal cord, to the neural systems of lower vertebrates, and to the links between ethology, evolution, and behavior. Or Current riding (1892): a handbook of horsemanship that is also a reflection on conditioning and obedience. Le Bon's many works devoted to animal “instincts” – their genesis, their transmission, their modifiability – allow us to better understand his studies on social and political psychology. The irrational and the unconscious thus appear in a different light. Not as dark forces to be either repressed or unleashed. But rather, as “not-rational” but very effective ways to orient oneself in the world.