| This book was published shortly after the dawn of the new millennium. The scare about a possible “millennium” problem occurred because many of the computerized systems on which we depend could not properly distinguish the year 2000 from the year 1900. It is a perfect illustration of the main claims made hereafter. Namely that minor details may cause dramatic shifts in many processes; from physical or technical to social or psychological. This observation does not square with prevalent thinking about the “controllability” (in principle) of almost anything. One of the fields in which “loss of control” has always been of prime importance is the twin one of “mass” psychology and “collective behavior” sociology. Yet this field has an uncertain status; so, in a way, this book is an attempt to revive the field. If someone is about to faint, one may shake him or her in order to bring about full consciousness. This is what I am going to try: to bring the field alive again by thoroughly stirring it, by trying to shift, broaden, and deepen it. |