charisma everyone swears is there simply isn’t on it—just an odd bloke

with a staring problem. So where does it come from? Not the leader. The

followers confer it, and the leader is only ever an emblem they gather

around. Which is why the cult runs itself when he’s a continent away,

and why Musk stayed an icon no matter how many promises he broke.

Show notes

Further reading

prophets — the article this lecture grew from

Madness — the previous lecture, on shared madness

cults

charismatic leader (Weber)

charisma as social recognition, not a leader trait

as representation

entertainment — the Musk write-up

identity theory

culture trumps evidence

is ideology

epidemic

References

and contemporary

coverage

recent video and the Gateway podcast coverage

Cult Leaders” (Psychology Today, 2012)

Checklist (PCL-R)

Making of a Moonie

New Psychology of Leadership

(and a critique

of the study)

Choice — self-sealing systems

Lightning