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Fanaticism
 
 
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Fanaticism is an emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
 of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal
Zeal

Zeal may refer to:* Zealotry, excessive ideological zeal* Zeal , an internet directory* Kingdom of Zeal, a kingdom in the Chrono Trigger video game...
, particularly for an extreme religious
Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
 or political
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
 cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby
Hobby

A hobby is a leisure recreational pursuit....
. Philosopher George Santayana
George Santayana

George Santayana , was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist.A lifelong Spain citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English language and is generally considered an American Intellectual#Modes of .27intellectual class.27 in nineteenth-century Europe, although, of his nearly 89 years, he spent only 39...
 defines fanaticism as "redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim"; according to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions.

The difference between a fan and a fanatic is that while both have an overwhelming liking or interest in a given subject, behaviour of a fanatic will be viewed as violating prevailing social norms, while that of a fan will not violate those norms (although the person may be considered unusual).






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Encyclopedia


Fanaticism is an emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
 of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal
Zeal

Zeal may refer to:* Zealotry, excessive ideological zeal* Zeal , an internet directory* Kingdom of Zeal, a kingdom in the Chrono Trigger video game...
, particularly for an extreme religious
Religion

A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of myth, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendence quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power or truth....
 or political
Politics

Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behaviour within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporation, academia, and religion institutions....
 cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby
Hobby

A hobby is a leisure recreational pursuit....
. Philosopher George Santayana
George Santayana

George Santayana , was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist.A lifelong Spain citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English language and is generally considered an American Intellectual#Modes of .27intellectual class.27 in nineteenth-century Europe, although, of his nearly 89 years, he spent only 39...
 defines fanaticism as "redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim"; according to Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions.

The difference between a fan and a fanatic is that while both have an overwhelming liking or interest in a given subject, behaviour of a fanatic will be viewed as violating prevailing social norms, while that of a fan will not violate those norms (although the person may be considered unusual). A fanatic differs from a crank
Crank (person)

"Crank" is a pejorative term for a person who either holds some belief which the vast majority of his contemporaries would consider false, is eccentric , or is just simply bad-tempered....
, in that a crank is defined as a person who holds a position or opinion which is so far from the norm as to appear ludicrous and/or provably wrong, such as a belief in widespread alien abduction. In contrast, the subject of the fanatic's obsession
Obsession

The term Obsession may refer to:...
 may be "normal", such as an interest in religion or politics, except that the scale of the person's involvement, devotion, or obsession with the activity or cause is abnormal or disproportionate.

Categories

  • Consumer
    Consumer

    Consumer is a broad label that refers to any individuals or household that use Good generated within the economic system. The concept of a consumer is used in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary....
     fanaticism - the level of involvement or interest one has in the liking of a particular person, group, trend, artwork or idea.
  • Religious fanaticism
    Religious fanaticism

    Religious fanaticism can be defined as fanaticism related to a person's, or a group's, devotion to a religion. However, Religious Fanaticism is a subjective evaluation defined by the culture context that is performing the evaluation....
     - considered by some to be the most extreme form of religious fundamentalism.
  • Political, ideological
    Ideology

    An ideology is a set of aims and ideas, especially in politics. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society....
     fanaticism.
  • Ethnic, national, racial fanaticism.
  • Leisure fanaticism - high levels of intensity, enthusiasm, commitment and zeal shown for one's leisure activities.
  • Sports fanaticism - high levels of intensity during sporting activities. This is either done based on the belief that extreme fanaticism can alter games for one's favorite team (Ex: Knight Krew), or because the person uses sports activities as an ultra-masculine "proving ground" for brawls, as in the case of football hooliganism
    Football hooliganism

    File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0414-009, FDGB-Pokal, 1. FC Lok Leipzig - Dynamo Schwerin, Ausschreitungen.jpgFootball hooliganism refers to unruly and destructive behaviour such as brawls, vandalism, and intimidation carried out by Association football club supporters and fans....
    .


See also


  • Enthusiasm
    Enthusiasm

    File:Enthusiasm at Southside Johnny's in Colorado Springs.jpgEnthusiasm originally meant inspiration or Spiritual possession by a divine afflatus or by the presence of a god....
  • Fanboy
    Fanboy

    Fanboy is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession....
  • Fixation
    Fixation

    Fixation may refer to the following:In science:*Fixation , the state in which an individual becomes obsessed with an attachment to another human, an animal, or an inanimate object...
  • Obsession
    Obsession

    The term Obsession may refer to:...
  • Religious fanaticism
    Religious fanaticism

    Religious fanaticism can be defined as fanaticism related to a person's, or a group's, devotion to a religion. However, Religious Fanaticism is a subjective evaluation defined by the culture context that is performing the evaluation....
  • Zealotry
    Zealotry

    Zealotry was a movement in Tannaim, described by Josephus as one of the "four sects" at this time. The term Zealot, in Hebrew language Kanai , means one who is wikt:zealous on behalf of God....