Word: groupthink
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...West, affirms the sanctity of every man's soul under God. It is a novel in praise of the continuity of life, which for Pasternak means resurrection. It is, finally, a novel dedicated to the primacy of the individual and his private life in defiance of superstates, of groupthink, of social and ideological regimentation. If this is a devastating indictment of the essence of Communism, it is by implication equally critical of much that is currently lodged in Western habits of thought; for the book flatly pits the individual against "adjustment to the group," the soul's need...
...appeal of this militant groupthink is obvious--the frustrations of war and a love of certainty, a love that all too easily fastens on to the values of the good old days-and no one can do much about it. Its successes, few though they may be, are another matter, for the super-patriots are a small minority, and it is only the fears and apathy of the majority that allows them to exist...